Her Path to Power
by dedicatedwriter21
Summary: "...I will assume the role that has long since been denied to me..." Born in the shadow of the legendary Sannin, Sayo has always been underestimated and ignored. Can she rise above all expectation regardless of having an overbearing father? Will she be the true heir to the 'Will of Power?
1. Conception

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

If someone were to observe the powerful village in the leaves, then they would be shocked at the great devastation which had befallen such a prosperous place. It had been attacked by a phantom beast and a troubled ghost, which had it not been for the interference of two of the legendary Sannin, then the fourth hokage and his wife would have surely lost their lives in the battle. Such would have been a truly horrifying ordeal, especially for their newborn son who had only come into the world on that very day.

Lord Master Jiraiya, known for his virtuous title as the Toad lord and Sannin, had almost singly handily saved his student Minato Nimikazae by preventing him from using the Death Demon Reaper seal. He had naturally come up with an alternative, one which relied on Sage power, and thus he had assisted in separating yin into his protégée and yang into his godson.

From the moment that he had entered the village's hospital, he found himself in the middle of a panic feast. Many medical ninjas were hurrying in and out of the surgery rooms, pulling in between them the bloodied attack victims and then coming out bandaged and healed.

He pulled his tiny godson closer to his chest, because it was then that the shocking and the expected had happened. The entrance doors had burst open to reveal none other than the blonde haired Yondaime and the red haired Lady Kushina. Instead of running forwards, he made himself comfortable on the chairs, as he knew exactly why they were in such a dreadful state.

They had both gone through the most horrifying domestic attack had ever had. Kushina Uzumaki, the yondaime's wife had had the legendary kyubi ripped out of her stomach and let loose of the hidden leaf village. He had nearly been too late to save his student, the Yondaime, by breaking the Death Demon Reaper seal and invoking his pure sage form. It had been within a matter of seconds that he had manipulated nature energy and he had ripped apart the kyubi's massive chakra, and buried one half in his student Minato and the other into his tiny innocent godson Naruto.

As he waited for the two heroes of Konoha to be operated, a small smile could be seen on his face. He was pleased that he had protected his student and made sure that Naruto would not be left without his much needed parents. Such a devastating impact on the region had given him the perfect excuse to drag his teammate Tsunade back to the village she had escaped from years ago. He had always loved and adored her, but she had always rejected him. Yet now he had made her return, a new passion had raged with the pit of his soul, and he wanted to begin his wooing once more.

The whole of their homeland knew that they were the perfect couple. Tsunade came from a powerful clan where her grandfather was famous for his earth style, while he came from a clan which were considered to be demi-gods in the ranks of the shinobi. Along with that, the two of were filthy rich and highly revered for their reputation and power of being the legendary Sannin.

"Lord Master Jiraiya..."

Jiraiya suddenly found himself dragged back into the realms of reality and he realised that a young skimpily clad nurse was bending down in front of him. A hot blush had crept across his face, as his adopted perverted nature had crept across his entire manly parts. On the outside he simply laughed of the disapproving glances of some of the residents of Konoha, but deep down he knew why he had developed such a lewd manner around women. For so many years of being rejected by the love of his life, his boy self had receded by simply wanting to pursue any beautiful woman he could lay his eyes on. His romantic pursuits had never gotten to a serious level and even though his many famous adult novels had been inspired by his adventures, anything serious had been the fantasies of the love life he so desperately desired.

"Yes..." his tone was soft.

"Lady Tsunade and her student Shizune have been successful in restoring the Lord Hokage and the lady Kushina to full health"

A brood smile had crept across his face and he slowly he rose onto his feet. He immediately brought the baby Naruto up to his chest. The innocent facial expression on his godson's face had caused his chest to flutter.

_It's a shame that I could never have one of my own..._

"Take me to them"

The nurse simply nodded and headed over to the nearby lift. Jiraiya followed behind and thought about everything he had achieved in his life, he was still left unsatisfied. As he entered into the lift, many images began to flood into his mind. He recollected the many battles he had won and the millions of admirers he had gained. But along with his memories of reality, his heart ached for something more and that was nothing more and nothing less than a stable home life. He could never admit it, but his dream had not included his shinobi status and his fame...as a child, his life goal had been to gain the perfect wife, live in a mansion and sire a beautiful child. Yet now that he had entered into his forties, he was convinced that the woman of his dreams had long since lost the ability to give him what he wanted.

_I will pursue her for the rest of my life...of that I am sure._

He obediently followed the nurse along the corridor and gently cradled his godson, who was beginning to fuss. It was almost instinctually that he gently rocked the little blonde and wondered what sort of father his student would be. Part of him was still in awe that Naruto's parents had granted him the title of godfather, when so many of the Konoha residents had deemed him incapable of caring for a child. Deep down this had hurt him, especially since what he dreamed about was exactly what he was being denied.

From the moment that the two double doors had been opened Jiraiya had been pleased to find that both, the fourth hokage his prized pupil and his wife the fiery Kushina Uzumaki were comfortably propped up against many pillows. Seeing them like this mean that the leaf village hadn't lost their leaders and he had lost those he had come to view as his very own children.

"Jiraiya sensei..."

At the mere mention of his name, Jiraiya made his way towards his blonde haired student. He took care to slowly occupy a place on the side of the bed, and he made sure that Naruto was secured tightly within his arms.

"Minato..." he murmured softly. The Yondaime who was usually so calm and collected was at the pinnacle of exhaustion. His blonde hair only seemed to make his pale face seem paler, his eyes were hollow...If Jiraiya didn't have the extensive experience he had, and then he wouldn't have been able to identify this state as chakra exhaustion.

"I was prepared to die"

With the mention of those words, Jiraiya's heartfelt incredibly heavy and he could not help but glance over to the peacefully slumbering Kushina.

"Minato...what need did you have to sacrifice yourself and Kushina? Would you have really wanted to leave your son an orphan, to be scorned by the villagers of his Jinchuriki status"

It appeared as if his heart felt words had had the effect that he had desired, as Minato's eyes laid themselves onto his tiny newborn child. A warm smile soon followed and Jiraiya was sure that he had successfully managed to rekindle the parental flame within him.

He watched as Minato's arms reached forward and after only a few seconds, he gently placed his squirming godson into his father's awaiting arms. At the moment of exchange, Jiraiya felt somewhat saddened. He didn't regret returning Naruto but after having observing the innocent creature for so very long, his heart ached for what he felt was missing from his life.

At the moment of exchange, Jiraiya watched Kushina stir and awaken. Her face, unlike her husband's, was healthy in appearance. He could immediately tell that Tsunade had activated her Uzumaki bloodline to heal her body and prevent her from dying. It had after all been reported cases previous Jinchuriki had died right after the extraction of the tailed beasts. He was overjoyed that he could sense her familiar string aura yet there was something missing. And only after seeing the longing in her eyes, he knew that being alive meant that she would never be able to bear another child.

"Master Jiraiya..." she spoke quite clearly."I truly hope that one day soon Kami will reward your selfless actions and give you the thing which you most desire"

If at that very moment she hadn't been staring after Naruto, then Jiraiya wouldn't have known that his secret of all secrets had been discovered.

Jiraiya was stunned. Out of all the places he expected to find Tsunade after her surgical duties, it was most definitely not in a bar. As expected, he quickly drew up a chair beside his semi drunk teammate and it was soon enough that a bar tender had come to ask for his order.

"Two portions of your best sake"

At the mention of 'two', Jiraiya found himself the object of his blonde love interest's attention. He had heard about her drinking escapades but he had never considered the possibility that he would find her publically flaunting a shameful hobby.

"What are you doing here?"

_Ah there's that fiery temper..._

Jiraiya chuckled:

"Oh Tsunade I am sure that you know of my involvement with the sealing of the..."

It was within a split second that she had raised her fist and instead of preparing himself to receive the full blow; he immediately reached forward and pinned the attacking hand down onto the counter top.

She simply laughed:

"Someone's grown balls...Ero-sannin"

Jiraiya's eyes hardened and instead of dignifying her criticism with a response, he glared deep within her eyes causing her to shiver against his domineering manner. And before they were due to break into an argument the bartender had placed the two cups and the bottle of alcoholic beverage. The tension began to dissolve as all that could be heard was the pouring of their anticipated drinks.

It was practically in a simultaneous effort that the two of them had placed the sake to their lips and threw back a heavy portion of the strong beverage. Jiraiya immediately felt all of his senses become dulled and mellow and his mind was beginning to go numb.

"So it looks like regardless of popular belief your precious student has not surpassed your macho self"

She was still being mean but the word which she was saying was starting to become more truthful. He knew from their teenage years that she had an appalling resilience to alcohol.

"The great Toad sage has saved the day yet again"

This time her words were slurred and her face was going red. She was no longer sitting upright but rather her chin was against the bar top service. Jiraiya was beginning to feel the effects too, but there was something in the back of his mind that caused a part of him to recoil in disgust at her unkempt manner.

"Maybe you need something strong"

And before he could protest an extremely powerful form of vodka had been poured into his glass.

"Ah you're weak..."

Jiraiya found himself biting onto his pride and taking a massive swig at his mug. His mind immediately began to pound and his muscles began to spasm.

He then heard her chuckling, and his vision began to blur. Before he knew what was going, Tsunade had flung herself into his arms. Her willingness to be intimate with him was shocking after so many years of her forcibly rejecting him.

"Are you a man or aren't you?" she asked him in a seductive tone.

Even though he was inebriated, he knew exactly what was going to happen next.

Jiraiya suddenly found himself awakening in his hotel bed with a terrible headache and blurry vision. He clambered out from his covers and leaned against the back board of the bed, all the while, he was attempting to recall exactly what had transpired for him to end up in such a poor condition. His entire body was completely aching and his mind felt fuzzy.

"How did I end up here?"

He then tried to climb out of bed and he realised where a large part of his discomfort was coming from the very thing that made him a man. His mind and his ears had suddenly been overtaken by a flash of forgotten memory.

He saw candles and darkness, and he heard himself panting and that of a woman...

He immediately placed his hand to rubbing his aching temple, and then he heard a loud scream resonating from his very ears.

"Jirrrraiiiiiyaaaaaa...!"

He found himself blinking a few times.

"Oh Tsunade what have you done to me?"


	2. Confrontation

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

More than three months had passed since her encounter with Jiraiya, and even though she had tried so hard to forget about her weak moment, she was unable to forget the drunken night which she had spent with him. She had done everything right, she had slipped some amnesia drug into Jiraiya's last scotch glass and she had cleared out everything including her chakra signature. However as she lay thinking among her bed covers, she couldn't help but notice the gradual weakness of her physical strength and the sluggishness of her ninja abilities. It was begin to provoke uneasy emotions in the pits of her stomach and something even more annoying...

Her peaceful thoughts had been interrupted but the rumbling of her stomach and then suddenly she bolted from her bed and she rushing into her on suite bathroom. She flung the door open and crouched over the toilet. It was within a second that she had lifted the lid, placed her hand on the sides and released the pressure which had crawled its way up her throat. It was becoming routine for her to eject all the contents of her stomach.

She leaned forward to flush away the evidence of her weakness and went back onto her knees. Once there she spent a few moments contemplating exactly what was happening to her and then her silence had been interrupted by none other than the approaching of her adoptive niece Shizune.

"My lady, you have been like this for two weeks now"

Tsunade gripped the toilet and pulled herself up to stand. She then came face to face with Shizune's concerned face. She slowly traipsed out of her room of cleansing and sat on the side of her bed, and her niece followed soon after her.

"My lady..." Shizune's tone was definitely trembling now and from the look on her face, Tsunade knew that she would not like what her adoptive niece would have to say. "...I really think that you ought to go to the doctor"

Tsunade could not but cringe at the mention of 'doctor'; she was famous for her healing prowess and her pride screamed at her to ignore Shizune's suggestion but...

"I suppose I have no choice then..."

...

"Congratulations Lady Tsunade you are due on the eight of April..."

Tsunade felt as if her world was crashing down and she could do absolutely nothing to stop it. She had come to the doctor and now she was hearing the words which confirmed just how much trouble she was in. And it didn't make her feel her any better that both the female doctor and Shizune bore wide grin on their faces.

As she lay on the surgical bed, she contemplated on everything which had transpired over the last few months and she knew that if she was to fix her mistake, she would have to do so before she went further along in her stages of pregnancy.

"It's not possible for me to be with child...I am forty years old"

The female doctor looked down onto her charter and glanced over the details.

"My lady...even though women in your age group find it difficult to conceive, there is still a twenty percent chance for you current condition"

Now Tsunade knew that she was in a great deal of trouble as her mind attempted to deduce a way in which she could rid herself of her little problem...She knew that it wouldn't be easy to truly put her moment of weakness behind her, now that a public authority knew that she was carrying a child.

Then she noticed that she and Shizune were once again alone...and she was met with a big grin.

"Lord Master Jiraiya will surely be ecstatic that you are carrying his child"

Suddenly she felt as her heart beat accelerating as the fear of her reality had began to creep in.

_What can I do? I need to do something urgently..._

The doctor soon returned with what appeared to be a detailed plan of her pregnancy and a list of forbidden activities. And Shizune had eagerly accepted the pack and Tsunade waited for the doctor to speak.

"My lady, it is essential for the safety of your child that you refrain from your ninja duties and completely defer from any alcohol consumption"

Tsunade broke into a weak smile and she knew exactly what she needed to do.

...

As she stumbled out of the hospital, her mind was focused on one thing. She had stayed in the hospital only long enough to learn about all the things which could cause serious harm to the unborn child which she was carrying. From the chart which he doctor had shown her, she knew that she was over two months pregnant and thus she still had enough time to easily flush the mistake away.

Her trajectory through the hidden leaf village proved to be quite a speedy affair. Not one of the residents came in her way and whoever saw her, bowed. She was highly revered across Konoha for not only being a part of the legendary Sannin, but she was a princess in her own right because of her blood lineage coming from the first Hokage himself.

However as she made her way closer and closer to her destined destination, she began to feel scared. She would never admit her fears vocally but she knew that what she was about to do would undermine the honour which she had gained...

"The sooner I do this...the better..."

After a good twenty minute walk, she had finally reached the place which would surely bring the end to all of her troubles. There was a big sign which read 'Tinos's Tavern' and on the inside the lights were already on as the daylight had began to fade, bringing forth the night.

The moment that she stepped through the threshold, she felt her stomach churn and she knew that Jiraiya's chakra signature was attempting to take control of her actions.

Her eyes scanned the masses and quickly she spotted the main bar, and it was without any sort of unnecessary effort that she had clambered over to the counter. Yet once she pulled up a chair to the bar, her mind immediately presented her with her embarrassing attempt to seduce Jiraiya. She was sure that if she hadn't been so inebriated at the time, she would have never humiliated herself like that.

Since the first time she had put on the same team as Jiraiya and Orochimaru, she had constantly rejected every single one of Jiraiya's advances. She had never given a reason for not accepting him but as she was ever so close to completely eradicating the grievous mistake she had committed, she could not help but realise why...

The bartender came forward and she spoke:

"Give me a round of your strongest scotch"

The bartender merely nodded and he returned to his taps.

Tsunade went back to pondering about why she had persistently rejected all of Jiraiya's advances and now that she was in her current predicament, she had come to realise her reason. In her mind, her white haired team mate was someone who couldn't commit to anything...his insatiable appetite for women made him ineligible in her mind. Her ideology of who her husband could be was heavily based on what her grandfather had been like. Lord Hashirama, her ever powerful deceased grandfather, had been perfect in all regards. His earth style and his sage powers had made him renowned in his own right. Yet even with him being a brilliant ninja, he had never forgotten his role as the family head. In fact every single one of his acts as first hokage had been to benefit his clan. He had loved and cherished his wife, his children and all those of his blood and his ninja duty or vices ever precede that of his role as patriarch. She knew from her forty years on this planet that he was her ideal sort of a man, and as far as she could see, not a single one of her potential suitors could ever come on par with her grandfather, the family man.

Her thoughts were interrupted with six small glasses were laid out in front of her.

"Your order...my lady"

Tsunade simply nodded in acknowledgment and she rapidly brought the first glass to her lips.

_He wouldn't have been a decent father anyway._

...

Worry was the emotion which currently overwhelmed Shizune's very being. She had followed the doctor to the other room to learn more about how to care for Tsunade through her time of weakness. However once she had received all the paperwork, she had been shocked to learn that her lady had already hurried away from the hospital. This had scared her greatly...especially because of her lady's reaction to learning that she was pregnant was not exactly blissful.

From the moment that she had exited the hospital, she began to consider exactly where Tsunade would have run of to...As she made her way into the main part of the leaf village, her lady's reaction had carried on replaying in her mind. Somehow, in one way or another, she was hoping to find some sort of clue to where she would be able to locate Tsunade. And once she laid her eyes on the first tavern sign, she suddenly realised where she would be able to find her...

And she broke into a full on run.

Rapidly she went through the village and her heartbeat increased as she realised that Tsunade wanted to get rid of the baby and thus she had gone to do something terrible...and then BAM!

The impact had been great and when she had regained her vision, she noticed a hand being offered to her...and once she identified that the chakra meant no harm to her, she permitted herself to be pulled to her feet.

Her Good Samaritan was clad in a green short shirt kimono and matching pants; under it she saw his mesh armour which show out of the sleeves and legs of his overall outfit. She noticed his hand guards, his black belt, and his wooden sandals with a red haori containing the known two simple yellow circles which adorned it. On his back he carried a scroll, yet his waist-length, spiky white hair tied back in a pony tail, and the two bangs which end at his shoulders and the horned forehead protector with the kanji symbol on it meant that she had come face to face with none other than...

"Lord Master Jiraiya..."

He smiled weakly and Shizune knew that she needed to tell him.

"What's the hurry Shizune?" his voice carried traces of dominance.

Shizune took a deep breath.

"I have lost sight of my lady"

From the seriousness on his face, she could tell that her own fear was coming through.

"Isn't that something normal for Tsunade?"

Shizune knew that she required his help...especially if it meant stopping Tsunade from putting her child's life in danger.

"My lady is in a fragile state right now, and I'm worried that she is doing something which will endanger not only her life but the life that she is also carrying..."

His reaction was almost instantaneous and she noticed the shock on his face, as his mouth opened wide.

"Pregnant...? Tsunade's pregnant...?"

Shizune nodded.

"When is she due? Who's the father?"

Shizune gulped.

"April...and if it isn't too late already, you are the father"

She then saw a truly intermediating sight, as Jiraiya's body had flashed in his cream chakra and speed away. Shizune was able to tell that from the pure determination on his face, he would be the only one who would make sure that the child would survive and thrive in the world. Other than that, he was most likely the only shinobi who could stop her lady Tsunade from committing a grievous mistake.

...

Tsunade felt as if her head was about to split, as she progressed onto the third glass of the series of scotch which she had been given. She had hoped that she would soon enough she would be able to eradicate the being in her stomach. Yet every sip which entered her blood stream seemed to be dissolved before it could reach her desired destination. However as she became weaker, she noticed that the defences around the foetus were breaking...

"TSUNADE...!"

His voice was as familiar as the chakra imprint which she carried within her, yet she knew better then to stop her current task, as she gulped down the remains of her current glass. And then she went onto the forth one portion and then within a flash of light, a tight hand gripped around her drinking hand.

"Stop this foolishness now"

"Jiraiya..." she slurred, as she saw his infuriated face.

Suddenly her glass was pushed out of her hand, and as it smashed onto the floor, she turned to glare at him...and then before she could even anticipate what her white haired team mate was going to do. His hand had fallen onto none other than her stomach, and she clenched her fist preparing herself for the fight which would surely ensue.

She saw his hand glowing and then it pressed against her weak spot. It glowed in the same shade as his chakra and then suddenly she felt as if everything around her had gone black.


	3. Domination

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Tsuande was not a happy bunny when she found herself escaping the darkness. Her head felt as if it had undergone a traumatic ordeal and her entire body was aching. If she didn't know it better it was almost as if she had just collided with someone's chakra...and then she attempted to active her hands only to release that they had along with her arms been harshly tied down. Immediately her eyes shot open and her vision became steady as she realised exactly where she was.

She took care not to bring any attention to who exactly was sitting beside her, but from his white mane alone; all the memories of how she had been confronted in the bar had come flooding back onto her mind. She could recall the fierce expression on Jiraiya's face as he had forcefully intervened with her plans to drink away her problem. And now that she was here, so close to him, having clearly been overpowered by his chakra alone. She knew that he was not guarding her but rather the entity which had unfortunately began to grow in her stomach.

It was within a flash of a second that she had tightly shit her eyes and summoned up as much of her chakra as she possibly could and she pulled against the chakra enhanced roped with all her might. She felt her arms become free as she lifted herself slowly but surely of the bed until suddenly she felt another force meet her own. Instead of pushing any further she swiftly placed her chakra powered hand onto her stomach...but before she could commit the deadly action that very arm had been snapped back and slammed into the bed and then she found herself opening her eyes. And she was met with none other than the infuriated grey eyes of her captor.

It was an embarrassing fact to see how he had climbed on top of her, and he was using both of his large hands to pin down her arms, thus immobilising her. In her sheer determination to get away from him, she struggled and attempted to strike him where it hurt the most. However his actions were far swifter then her own, as he did something unexpected, he leaned forward and planted his lips onto her own. And within a few moments alone she felt his chakra travelled through her body and rendering all of her muscles and subsequently rendering her motor skills useless.

She had thought that he would leave her be, once she had surrendered to him. But inside he continued to devour her mouth and push his tongue past hers. This small act of domination alone had caused her body to involuntarily shiver and she feared the he would actually go further. Instead she felt one of his hands pushed her kimono top up and once it had reached her breasts, his mouth had released hers and landed on her sensitive abdomen.

Tsuande watched in shocked as he began to leave a trail of spiralling kisses. She couldn't understand why he was so intrigued with such a place...until after a good twenty minutes of administering his signs of affection. Her stomach suddenly flashed in a familiar shade of cream and at this revelation alone, she felt him lay his hand there and gently press along the bottom.

_He is actually claiming my stomach!_

Yet as she considered his actions further, she realised that it wasn't her body that he was claiming but rather the life which had began to develop there...and then finally he began to climb of from the top of her and slide of the bed to the nearby chair. However all of that time, his hand did not even move a single inch from her unprotected abdomen and Tsuande could not help but feel a certain trepidation at just how domineering he had been in paralysing her.

And then he broke the awkward silence.

"How dare you endanger what is mine!"

Tsuande could not help but flinch at his hard manner of addressing her, and because of this, she would not dare to meet him eye to eye.

"What gives you the right to apprehend me as if I were some lowly criminal?"

Jiraiya then did the one thing that she hoped that he would not do, he leaned forward and forced her to look into his eyes.

"During your slumber I sent some legal documents to Sarutobi sensi to invoke my parental rights"

Her eyes went wide as she knew exactly what this meant, and her heartbeat began to increase.

"Your parental rights...? I am afraid that they do not exist as we are not married and I do not intend to keep this foetus!" she sneered at his words.

A large creepy smile appeared on his lips.

"Whoever said that I requested joint custody?"

Tsunade's first reaction was to retort with some sort of witty comeback, yet the expression of Jiraiya's face had left her rather perplexed as had his uncharacteristic actions. He had sought her out not so he could ravish her but rather to protect the being within her.

"What idiot in Konoha would believe that you were fatherly material? I mean after so many years you have gone and create yourself quite a perverted profile..." a slight smirk crept across her lips as she could see that her words had clearly struck a nerve.

"Well my dear, whether you believe it or not, I want the child. And I would not let your distasteful hobbies slaughter my seed..." his voice became even more demeaning towards her with ever word which he uttered.

_Did he just call me a drunk?_

"I am a princess, I am the granddaughter of the first hokage and you presume that you can rope me up like some sort of animal"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and his chakra spiked.

"Oh that's right you don't know..."

The hidden humour in his tone had engaged her curiosity.

"Only a bare few know that I am the only living descendant of the Monogatari clan"

_Monogatari...!_

Tsunade had only heard about such a clan from her grandmother's stories. She had told her about the family which had specialised in Sage power alone and their divine ninja prowess. She could also remember learning that the trademark hair of their clan was white and spiky and they had incredibly long stamina and domineering nature. Seeing the ever increasing seriousness forming on Jiraiya's brow and his superior chakra, she knew that what he was saying was true.

"And therefore princess...I Jiraiya Monogatari also bear the title of prince..."

Tsunade then knew that whatever he had planned for her, she would not be able to fight against him.

"...and after having successfully planted my seed into you, I will assume the role that has long since been denied to me..." there was definitely no room for argument now.

"A father...the lecherous toad sage Jiraiya wants to be a father..."

At the mere disapproval of his plans, she felt him clench his hand which was on her stomach, and she knew that whatever came now would not be pretty.

"Know this Tsunade that from now until the day which you birth my child, you are in my custody..."

She was about to interject...

"...and if you should continue to endanger what is mine, then I will not hesitate to take you up to the high court's and sue you. I would not rest until everyone knows how you have forsaken your title of Sannin to become a gambler and a drunk"

Tsunade could not help but gap at the horrifying words which Jiraiya had just delivered. Every single one of his promises had been so sincere and his composure had not falter for even a second. Her white haired teammate was no longer the carefree womaniser who couldn't commit to anything...no, in front of her sat none other than a ninja whose lineage came above hers and a face which she had seen so many times on the brow of her dearly departed grandfather...It portrayed nothing more and nothing less than his status as a patriarch and most importantly a father would do absolutely anything to guard his blood from any force which attempted to cause it harm.

The silence which followed his sour words had been broken by the knocking on the door of the hotel room which Jiraiya had obviously locked her in. She knew well enough that just like her, he rarely stayed for more than a few days within the hidden leaf, and therefore having a permanent home was not something which could be considered as being practical.

She watched silently as he made his way over to the door, and opened the door to reveal one of the house keepers. And by the looks of it, he was carrying some sort of large tray and dish, which she had a horrible feeling that Jiraiya would find yet another way to humiliate her.

"A full course meal and hot chocolate, just as you requested Lord Master Jiraiya"

She could not help but press her lips together and wonder why he hadn't told others in the village about his superior clan status. Yet she was fascinated at how, even with growing up with an orphan tag, he had managed to surpass even her power. In fact as she considered the whole power triangle which existed between her, Jiraiya and their brother in all senses but the word Orochimaru, then he would most likely come out as the leader and she would be the konochi who had the privilege of being labelled as one of the Sannin.

She watched as he closed the door and come carrying none other than the food tray.

_Is he going to spoon feed me?_

She felt her skin crawl as the solemn smile continued to persist on his face, and if she still had the ability to move of her own accord, she would have most likely attempted to bolt again. Instead she observed as he pulled up the car to her bed and placed the tray onto the side of the bed. From then on everything had transpired in slow motion as he removed the large doom like dish from the plate and slowly and deliberately he had picked up the knife and the fork. She remained speechless as he began to cut up the piece of chicken into small chunks and prepare the food almost as if it were being done for a small child. Seeing how carefully he organised the differently foods on the tray, she knew that his next move would be that it would end up being pushed into her mouth.

"Now open wide..." his voice did not lose its domineering tone.

Tsunade considered snapping a few words against the degradation he was putting her through until she heard him confirm her worst nightmare.

"Oh my dear, I meant everything word that I said...don't you ever doubt that"

She then found herself unwillingly opening her mouth, as he leaned forward to place the first of many portions into it. Yet as she chewed the next mouthfuls, she realised just how hungry she was. And the hot chocolate which followed really tickled her taste buds. This sensation of depending on another being was rather foreign for someone of her stature. Yet as she contemplated on her current predicament event further...she actually realised that her being pregnant may actually have its benefits.

If she considered how her life had been up to this point and the things which she had achieved, she realised that this was the logical next step. Orochimaru had never really been the fertile sort, and at their advanced age she had become convinced that Jiraiya had lost it as well. Yet now she served as the life source which would eventually give life to the next Monogatari-Senju heir.

_Well I am sure that if Jiraiya screws up as a father, there's always Orochimaru who could take over._

A faint pang of her heart made forbidden thoughts to circulate within her mind. No matter how much she attempted to restrain them, she could not help but dream about the life that she had long since given up on having. She saw flashes of Jiraiya, of her and a small white haired not blonde haired child happily shield in their warm embrace. She envisioned the child's rites of passage...its first steps, its first words and all the countless times that such a joy in life would bring about the life which she secretly craved...

"I hope for your sake that you are not contemplating on the ways in which to further confirm that you have strayed from the reputation which you held with us..."

By the word 'us', she knew that he was referring to him and Orochimaru but she knew far better than to respond. She was still in awe that Jiraiya's general temperament had changed so dramatically from their drastic encounter in the bar. It was still quite shocking for her that he had become so serious and determined, and even though she was sure that she would never dare to vocalise such a truth, he had become almost like her grandfather.

And then she realised that she was no longer being feed by Jiraiya and her hunger had been sated. His calm facial expression signified that she would no longer be in danger of his accusatory tone.

A series of soft knocks could once against be heard on the door, and once Jiraiya had set the empty tray down onto the one of the side tables of the uniform hotel room, she watched as he once again placed his sturdy hands onto the door handle and pulled it open.

The next few seconds had all transpired in a blur as two regally clad ninja had slowly entered. One of them had short grey hair and grey eyes where his typical breast plated outfit. Whilst the other one as of yet failed to register as actually being possible being there with her in that very room...

...studying his long black hair, his choice of a black kimono lined in cream, her heartbeat became frantic...

_Long black hair, extremely pale skin and eyes so resembling that of snakes...it can't be..._

"Why long time no see, my dear Tsunade"


	4. Reunion

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

"Orochimaru...is that really you?"

The entrance of her teacher and her Sannin teammate was more than enough to make Tsunade feel overwhelmed. After all in the matter of twenty four hours she had been kidnapped by Jiraiya, she had learnt of his heritage and now the two most unlikely individuals were standing in the same room as her. And given the current circumstances, she won't be surprised if they had come specially to see with their own eyes that she was indeed carrying and nurturing Jiraiya's seed within her womb. She had technically rejected him so many times and now, no matter how much she wanted to escape, she could not help but feel something for the white haired man who had changed so dramatically upon learning that he was going to be a father.

Orochimaru, in their younger days, had always been referred to as the brains of their threesome. He had mastered an impressive array of justu which he utilized for the benefit of those who could not protect themselves. Some said that he had abandoned their village to go and pursue his own selfish dreams, yet she knew better. Her black haired teammate had for a countless amount of years served the superiors of Konoha, yet now in his advanced age, she knew that he craved the freedom of what came with a missing ninja. And fortunately enough, after much debate among the council members they had agreed that he was no longer honour bound to the village and he could chose his own destiny.

Sarutobi's, her near sixty year old sensei, appearance had been just as much of a shock to her. When Minato, or the Yondaime, had taken over the role of the acting Hokage, he had retired out of the public view and enjoyed his new position. Yet as she considered this further, her reason for not seeing him as often as she would have liked, was because she had also deserted her home for a few years. She had lost both her younger brother and first love to the ninja world, and she had only come back to the hidden leaf so that she could use her enhanced medical aptitude to heal the life threatening wounds which Minato and his wife Kushina had attained with the Nine Tails. And now she couldn't even leave the village which she had given up on, because she had done the most stupid thing, by crawling into bed with none other than Jiraiya. She had hoped that the amnesia potion she had pushed through his mouth would have hidden the evidence of her grievous error, and she knew that it would have worked too, had it not been for the fact that he had gotten her pregnant.

Observing the two familiar faces, she could not help but also contemplate on the fact that Jiraiya had stayed in the village a lot longer then he usually would. He too had broken off on his own, so that he could fully secure his spy network and gradually find links which could supply him with endless amounts of sensitive information about the other hidden villages and any potential organization which would challenge the power which they had gained from being labelled as the Sannin. However the bomb shell that Jiraiya had dropped on her about being descended from the Monogataris was something that she was sure that if he revealed it to others, then their Sannin title would surely become permanent.

As she finally began to return to the realms of reality and a small voice sounded within her mind.

_It's as if Kami has planned this pregnancy herself to bring us all together._

Suddenly Tsunade had become aware that her black haired teammate was no longer standing but rather he had assumed a spot on the side of the bed. The abrupt closeness between them had allowed her to better read his chakra and by extension his general mood. His smile did not seem to wane but she became rather uncomfortable by the extreme bliss on his face.

"Aren't you simply glowing Tsunade?"

It was as if his words had served as an indirect question to Jiraiya, who had subtly nodded. She could not fully understand the exchange which had occurred between the two of them, until she felt a cool hand being placed gently onto her stomach.

_So he knows...they both do..._

"It is truly a miracle that our legacy will be able to continue..."

Her heart all of a sudden skipped a beat as she realised that his statement did not only refer to him and Jiraiya, but there was a strong implication that he had included her into the equation. In fact as her eyes ventured over to Jiraiya's spot, she noticed just how soft his facial expression had become.

_They want me. Why...? Haven't I humiliated them with my illicit activates?_

She watched as Orochimaru's smile began to falter and his face had become sour. It had caused a minor case of goose bumps to crawl over her skin, as his transformed glare had made her heart drop in shame...It was obvious what he was going to say next...

"...yet it is an equal debacle that the mother herself is being so reckless and putting the infant's life in danger"

_Damn it...he's taken Jiraiya's side._

As she considered the matter further, she could see the disappointment on all of their faces and she felt small...really small. In fact she had come to understand that no matter how much she tried to fight against their domineering hold, whilst she carried the unborn child in her womb, they would protect it...even if it meant literally binding her up in physical ropes.

"Should we get going Jiraiya, Sarutobi sensei?"

_Get going...? Where...?_

Tsunade was beginning to get annoyed at just how oblivious she was to everything which was happening around her. She watched helpless as Jiraiya had began to approach the bed once more and before she could even find an appropriate insult to stop it happening...he had leaned down and gently slip his hands under her limp body. It was with one swift moment that she felt herself being lifted from the bed and within a moment's notice, she and her carrier had began to make their way out of the door. And soon enough the two other individuals within the room had also followed suit.

_They're seriously going to do as far as to humiliate me in front populace as well..._

...

Tsunade was truly shocked at just how empty of people the main section of the village had become. She had originally shut her eyes tightly so that she could avoid the potential humiliation which would have come when everyone saw her in the arms of none other than the grand pervert...Yet now as they slowly made their way past the many public buildings, she wondered how it was possible that there was not a simple living soul present in the commercial part of the leaf village. And from the calmed expressions on the three males' faces, it was almost as if this journey had been pre-planned to occur exactly as it was now.

_I wonder where they're dragging me of to now..._

The eerie silence was suddenly broken by none other than Orochimaru's voice.

"It's curious that even with your extravagant hobbies you were still able to allocate so much money..."

_Hobbies...? Does he mean the womanising? Or perhaps it's something else._

She noticed Jiraiya's faint smile and was even more confused by what his response was.

"Monetary acquisition is not worth anything if it cannot assure the simple necessities of life. My wealth supersedes my needs and thus I believe that I shouldn't restrict my child from the absolute best..."

Now Tsunade was perplexed. From what she could comprehend about the situation at hand, Jiraiya had asked him and their sensei to do something important for him. As they progressed through further and further into the centre of the village, she had come to the conclusion that they were most likely going to see some sort of gift which Jiraiya had acquired for the child which so persistently grew within her stomach.

She could understand exactly how it was happening that by the passing hour, the resentment which she had accumulated against the unborn infant was gradually becoming harder to uphold. It was almost as the connection which Jiraiya had established by drawing out the child's chakra, signified that she was starting to unconsciously share the love which he held for the life within her...

_This warm sensation in my chest...Is the pervert Sannin actually loving something which he can't flirt with?_

The thought itself had caused a sneering sort of smirk to appear on her face. Suddenly before she could help herself, her stifled giggles had turned into full blown laughs. Her entire body become consumed by the hilariousness of the thought which her mind had just processed. It had overtaken her and before she knew it, her whole form was vibrating and her chakra was beginning to bubble.

Her glee was dramatically ended when she felt herself being placed onto a hard wooden service and she was forced to re-enter the world of awareness. And to her dismay, she found herself under the concerned and slightly irritated faces of her three escorts. Yet what she found more embarrassing was that Jiraiya had placed her onto a table and waited for her, almost as if she were a child having a tantrum.

She then glared at Orochimaru and him in a combined effort and spoke some criticising words.

"Are you going to restrict my emotions as well?"

At such a statement alone, the white haired's facial expression soften and he approach her once more. However unlike the first time that he had done this, she didn't resist when he had pulled her into his strong arms once more.

"Let's get going" he murmured softly.

Within a few moments, they had left the restaurant which they had rest in and they had reassumed their walk and as they progressed on, she became increasingly attentive to the fact that they were now entering a more secluded section of the village. She wasn't so familiar with it, but by the luscious houses which had began to crop up along the side of the streets, indicated to her that they were entering a very exclusive part of the village, a part where not even Minato and his hokage had managed to earn a place.

She contemplated on those individuals who resided within such abodes. Even though her knowledge was scant, it was obvious that only those with a highly admirable status could ever hope to acquire a home in such a serene part of the hidden leaf.

"It's absolutely gorgeous..."

Jiraiya's velvety words had prompted her to look directly in front of her and she was amazed.

In front of them stood a castle like white house situated on an impressive plot of land. From the look of it, it consisted of two floors and spread across the two acres of land. The windows were large and regal and from the outside, it seemed as if each of the rooms had been furnished in minimally but everything there, reminded her of how royally her grandfather's house had been. She noticed the three bathrooms, one on the ground and the two others were located on the second floor. The bedrooms, if she could see them correctly, tailed up to six. There was a spacious living space, a modern fitted kitchen, a study and a large dining room.

Tsunade just couldn't understand why they had stopped at such a lavishly and frankly impossible for her to even consider owning...It was a house which resembled a homely palace and it even surpassed the extravagance of the Hokage's mansion.

"Yes...this will be the perfect place to rear my child. The ideal sanctuarium"

At this mere declaration alone, she felt her heartbeat increase exponentially as she realised what exactly was occurring.

_He's brought a house! He's made the commitment and he's rich...filthy brilliant rich!_


	5. Sanctuarium

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

It was Orochimaru who had stepped forward to take the lead, which in Tsuande's mind made absolute sense, as he had purchased the house. As they made their way forward, she noticed a large set of double gold plated gates which had already been opened for their arrival. Once they had passed through them, she immediately found herself having to force her mouth shut so as not to gap in awe at the massive accompanying grounds which came with this beautiful castle.

"I thought that you would appreciate the large space Jiriaya, especially with your toad summonings"

As she observed her captor's face, she noticed no alteration in his calmed expression. It confused her a great deal, as she had always taken her white haired teammate to be the immature one in their group. Yet in a matter of two days, he had taken the reigns, so to speak and she had become helpless in his arms, quite literally. She only hoped that in a few weeks or so, she would be able to somehow prove to him that chakra enforced paralysis was no longer needed to protect the child which was developing inside her womb.

She watched intrigued as they progressed towards the entrance doors. They were made of pure mahogany and the door handles, from what she could see were moulded gold.

_Have his shinobi missions and publication of perverted books really given him this much wealth?_

The entrance hall to such a magnificent mansion was approximately forty metres in width and five metres in length. The floor possessed and warm wooden layering and the walls were painted in auburn scarlet. The only benefits of such an extravagant entrance hall, was that it served to show just how well off the owner of the house was...

They soon began to follow Orochimaru down a rather long corridor, which Tsunade had identified as being what permitted easy ground floors rooms as well as accommodating the staircase which would surely lead them onto the second floor. It was roughly five metres wide and fifty metres long.

The first room, situated on the left, which they ventured into, was none other than a massive kitchen sporting a table which could accommodate at least six people. There was a double sized fridge, a separate freezer and countless counter tops and cupboards, no doubt filled with all sorts of paraphernalia to prepare food. It was seventeen and a half metres wide and ten metres long.

The second room, situated exactly parallel to the kitchen, was a large bathroom. It sported a massive Jacuzzi bath, a deluxe shower, toilet, sink and cupboard. Its general colour scheme was of reds, creams and oranges. Seeing this, Tsunade found herself clearing more about Jiraiya's taste in decorative things. The measurements mimicked that of the kitchen.

The third room beside the kitchen was none other than a large dining room, containing a table which could sit up to at least thirty individuals. Tsuande was sure that such a room would only be used for entertainment purposes. The size was once again as spacious as that of the two rooms before.

The fourth room, in parallel and situated beside the bathroom was a scantly furnished room containing a low Japanese styled table and a large window. If she didn't know it any better, Jiriaya had most likely requested for such a room, so that he could always shut himself away from the rest of the extravagance which his home had to offer and also so that he could conduct any important meetings, or tend to any matters away the public view.

The five and final room on the ground floor was no doubt the biggest on the ground floor, it's width was of forty metres while it's length was of five metres. The gap between the main corridor and the final room was dedicated to a large Victorian style staircase. It was situated to the far extreme of the left hand side of the mansion and the space between the other rooms and the final room left the space of forty metres wide and ten metres long. Tsuande could tell that the availability of space in Jiraiya's house would no doubt connote his overall wealth.

The five and final room on the ground floor was no doubt the biggest on the ground floor, it's width was of forty metres while it's length was fifteen metres. And once they passed through the door of the fifth room, Tsunade was met with a familiar sight. The living room was approximately ten metres in width and six metres in length. Along the back wall there were massive bad to back floor reached windows, which sported two sliding doors in its centre, allowing access to the outside plot of land. In the centre of the space there was a large four seated velvet coated sofa. One it's left there was a two seated sofa of a similar style and there was an identical one of its right. Between the doors and this sofa there was a classical piano present, which Tsuande found strange, as she had never thought that Jiraiya had any sort of musical talent. The dark brown book cases which ran along some parts of the walls, contained books of the highest calibre. Tsuande could not help but wonder if the empty space on the wall had been left so that some time in the future, Jiriaya could place either portraits or photographs of the inhabitants of the house.

_This house is so beautiful..._

Yet the real thought which was crossing thorough her mind, was how exactly would she find the willpower to depart from such a humble abode.

Orochimaru then turned towards the two of them with a broad smile on his face

"I hope you know Jiriaya that you have had me purchase the most expensive house in the village"

She noticed a faint smile creep up on the Toad sage's lips.

"I suppose my sanctuary does hold some sort of resemblance to the Nara or the Hyuga compounds"

Tsuande immediately found herself mentally disagreeing with him, as she knew from experience that those two examples didn't sport the same luxurious feel to them. They both believed in uniformity and the bare necessities. She could now see that Jiriaya had no desires to completely abide by the rules of a shinobi but rather a prince.

She heard her black haired teammate laugh and she began to wonder just how close he and Jiriaya were.

_To think that if I wouldn't have gotten pregnant, then I would have never had the opportunity it's to learn just how close my two male teammates are._

"Should we go upstairs?" she heard him asking.

"Show the way" Jiriaya responded in a placid tone.

The layout of the second floor was no way near as obvious as that of the ground one. There was once again a corridor which unlike its twin, was dimly lit, which invoked a sense of home and security.

The first room on the second floor was a bedroom of five metres in length and seventeen metres in width. It contained a medium sized single bed which was pushed into the far right corner of the room. Beside the bed, there was a large double sized desk and a comfortable seat. Lastly opposite the desk there was a modern styled double sized wardrobe. By the shades of purple present, Tsunade instantly recognised that this was none other than Shizune's room.

The second room on the second floor was a bathroom. It had a bath and conjoint shower to the far extreme of the white tile room, and the toilet was located on its left. The vanity of such a place was located to the left of the entrance. Its measurements mimicked that of the previous room.

The third room was similar to Shizune's room, but instead the bed was lined in white linen. The closet was empty and the desk was plain. It was perfect for any sort of guest as its spaciousness was something to be envied.

The fifth room had left Tsunade truly stunned. It was forty metres in width and ten metres in length, and the walls were painted in a warm shade of cream. There were back to back white painted wardrobes, they were ideal for a child who would turn out to be a female, running along the wall where they had entered the room. There were at least six bookcases pressed against the far left hand side of the room. Yet what she found most interesting was the balcony opposite of where they had come in. And then she noticed the large oak door, which was wide open and revealing an en suite bathroom. It contained a large deluxe shower, an auburn shaded vanity and a compact white toilet. It was a bathroom suited for royalty, of that Tsunade was sure.

Orochimaru had turned towards them and spoke the confirming words.

"I know it's a bit plain, as of yet, but I didn't believe it to be appropriate for me to by the baby stuff"

Tsunade immediately noticed the wide warm smile which had crept across Jiraiya's face and the general spike of bliss eroding through the chakra connection which he had made with the child. Something deep within her was secretly craving the security which he was forcing on her, and she began to wonder how exactly she would be able to leave once the time came.

"I am sure that Tsunade and I will know what to do in that department"

_Is he...?_ Yet somehow she couldn't quite find the words to explain how Jiraiya was radically changing the image which he had presented to her across so many years.

They promptly exited the yet to be fully furnished room and they went into the sixth room on the other side of the second floor. The measurements were the same as Shizune's room, but unlike the other bedrooms in the house, it was designed in such a fashion that was perfect to become Jiraiya's scriptorium. There were bookcases covering every inch of wall, and they were stuffed with manuscripts and historical/important documents alike. In the centre of the space there was a majestic solid C shaped wooden desk, accompanied by a truly masculine auburn shaded leather office chair. The double sized windows allowed the natural light to enter, and it would be ideal for her white haired captor to pen one of those perverted novels of his.

"You've were really channelling me when you organised this house, Orochimaru"

They quickly passed the second bathroom and they found themselves in the seventh room of the house, the one belonging to none other than Orochimaru. The double bed was lined in dark blue quilts and it contained a solid bed board. The large desk and chair was situated beside the entrance door. The double doored wardrobe was located on the wall on the right hand side of where the bed was.

"It truly resembles your personality, doesn't it?"

Jiraiya's playful teasing had caused a cool smile to creep up on Orochimaru's face, as he turned his attention towards them. Tsunade knew that he was distant Sannin. But on the odd occasion, even he had shown signs of being affectionate.

Much to Tsunade's surprise, Orochimaru did not lead them into the last room of the house tour. It was the same size as the child's bedroom, but it was completely furnished in Jiraiya's style. In the centre of the room there was a large canopy four poster double bed. It was lined in a dark red silk duvet cover, a red silk sheet and feather filled pillows. To the left hand side of the bed there was an in built wardrobe running along the wall. Meanwhile to the right, there was a large door which led to none other than a fully fitted deluxe bathroom including a fully fledged Jacuzzi; the colours present were creams and auburns.

Jiraiya then did something unexpected, as he proceeded towards the neatly made bed and he gently placed her in between the covers. His gesture was unanticipated but from the moment her body came in contact with the softness of the bed, she felt her eyes become heavy from weariness. But she forced herself to remain awaken, as he sat on the side of the bed with a small smile on its face.

"Your house is something to behold..." she murmured softly. Her first impression of his house had nowhere near been accurate to how it truly was. She had not anticipated the two en suite bathrooms and the many rooms which held no relation to anything of his past. In fact as she contemplated on this beautiful abode, she could not help but recall her grandfather's house and just how much they resembled one another.

It was soon found herself quickly succumbing to darkness, and she muttered some words which had she be alert enough, she would have never dared to say.

"...it's a pity I'll have to leave"

Tsunade had already lost consciousness when Jiriaya had replied most sincerely:

"You wouldn't have to..."


	6. Connection

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Awakening from her long night of slumber, Tsunade found herself stirring every so slightly as she remembered the ever increasing growing weight which she carrying. As her eyes flickered open; she was met with the early morning sun rays piercing into the window and as she slowly shifted to her side, she saw none other than the calm slumberous face of Jiriaya. She was amazed at how the two of them managed to share the same bed for the past three months, and he had never crossed the boundary. If she didn't know it any better, then she would have considered Jiriaya to be acting honourably because even though they spent so much time together, he had never acted out of turn. In fact, as she scanned her mountain top stomach, she began to realise that she no longer thought of her white haired teammate as an immature brat but rather one who had truly stepped up to the plate and slowly but surely he was becoming more and more gentlemanly in his conduct. A part of her wondered if she had actually opened her heart and fallen in love with the father of her child...

Tsunade may have originally craved to eliminate the life which had caused her abdomen to become so incredibly stretched. When she had originally learnt that she was carrying Jiraiya's child, she thought about the major inconvenience it would be to not only carry the infant to term but also her lack of resources to provide a proper home for it. As she contemplated on everything white had occurred over the past three months, she recognized how she now had stopped reaching for alcohol to drown away her sorrow, but rather her distraction had become none other than Jiriaya. He may have kidnapped her and held her captive, but he had been attentive to her needs twenty four seven. In fact as she pondered on the matter, she recalled how she had regained the use of her legs when she had proved to him that she would willingly stay by his side and obey all of his whims for the development of his unborn child.

Choosing to stay without a fight had allowed her to be pampered and really taken care of by not only Jiriaya, but Orochimaru as well. She had always been so strong and convinced that the only person whom she could possibly rely was herself, but she had come to realise that she enjoyed and craved for the special attention which they had given her and continued to give...

There had been countless amounts of times when she had wondered if perhaps she should just yield to the growing mother instincts and stay with the father of her child. Yes..., she dared to admit that after a mere few months, since during such a time she had managed to look beyond her selfish desires and began to consider the beautiful life which was slowly but securely growing inside her. She was being to realise just how lost she was in the world, and now in the security of her two more powerful teammates, she had come to see that the place where she was now could easily become her new home.

She promptly turned her attention back to the slumbering Jiriaya and she fought the temptation to reach forward and caress his face. He had invoked so many confusing feelings within her and he wasn't even doing it intentionally...of that she was sure. It seemed as if his paternal and patriarchal instincts had resembled none other than her grandfather's Hashirama's character. She had never considered it to be possible that a male of her generation could hold such a strong similitude to the man of dreams, a man just like her grandfather.

And it was as if at that mere thought along that his serious grey eyes fluttered open.

Their eyes suddenly connected and unlike other times, Tsunade felt obliged none to look away. A warm smile stretched across his face, and the single existing chakra bond between the two of them, allowed her to be consumed by his feelings of bliss. It seemed that the larger her stomach grew, the ever resilient joy of Jiraiya only became more pronounced.

"Good morning Tsunade" his voice was silky smooth and it made her feel safe just like many times before.

Tsunade only needed to blink once, and her white haired carer had disappeared and reappeared at the side of the double bed they shared. It still awed her just how efficient he was in reading her thoughts, and quickly she reached for his offered hand. And surely enough, she had been lifted onto her feet and just like other times, he had placed his hand onto her enlarged stomach and stroked the unborn child affectionately.

"Such a superb sight..." he heard her murmur happily.

It was within a few moments that he had traipsed over to the inbuilt wardrobe and pulled opened the door. She was immediately faced with a scant selection of maternity kimonos, which by the looks of it had been provided by none other than Shizune.

He then turned his attention towards her and smiled:

"I trust that you would prefer to choose your own maternity clothes when we go out baby shopping later"

With those words he slipped out of the door and she promptly headed forward, but was suddenly halted as he stuck his head through muttering a warning.

"Don't even think of coming down the stairs in your condition!"

To be sure that there had been a time when she would have responded with some sort of witty comeback, but now she simply found herself nodding. It appeared as if her altered attitude towards the child she was carrying was making Jiriaya feel more confident in trusting her not to do anything stupid.

Once he had left, she found herself walking to the open closet door and taking each and every one of the kimonos, so as to analyse them. She had never thought that the day would come were she would have to wear maternity clothes in public!

...

Tsunade was truly amazed at the sight in front of her. Jiriaya had dragged her into the most expensive baby store in the entire village and there he had set his eyes on the most elegant baby crib which she had ever seen. It was approximately half a metre in length and a quarter of a metre in width. The mattress stuffed with multiple feathers and lined in pure silk, this alone connoted just how costly the piece of furniture would be. Along the front and the back there were large set of bars and on the top and the bottom there was a brilliant swirl giving it the interesting sort of flare. The pure dark brown oak had probably been its most distinguishing feature.

And Jiraiya's face was simply beaming.

"Can you really afford to spend money here?"

It was with a minute movement that he had speed forward and slowly and softly wrapped his arms around her middle and placed his large sturdy hands onto her shoulder blades. She immediately thought the worse and attempted to pull away...only to be halted by the velvety yet serious tone of her white haired teammate.

"I wouldn't do anything which you may consider as being sleazy..."

Tsunade instantly relaxed and allowed him to gently stroke her shoulders and transmit a small amount of his chakra into her network. It was an easy enough gesture for his to do, but it quickly made her feel more energised and more able to carry the large weight on her stomach.

He gradually pulled away from her and he smiled:

"If money could buy love Tsunade, then I would surely be a poor man"

He then took her hand and dragged her away to none other than baby clothes section. It was really a cute sight to behold, as the entire enlarged room, contained multiple racks of mini clothes suiting males and females alike. There was everything there from formal to night time attire, ranging between blues, pinks, reds, yellows, creams and a great many other colours. She could immediately tell that any new mother would literally be jumping with joy at seeing so many adorable outfits for their bun in the oven.

She suddenly felt so conflicted about the situation at hand. She was conflicted between two emotions which had seemed to coexist peacefully within her inner self. There was her originally mentality towards the child and how desperate she had been to finally rid herself of such a massive mistake. However over the months which she had spent in the care of Jiraiya another persona was slowly but securely emerging from deep within. She had begun to enjoy the constituency and the security which had come with her predicament. During such a time, she had been pleasantly surprised to learn that her white haired teammate had left behind his lecherous nature in favour officially assuming his paternal role and begin to make routes in none other than her home village.

Her trail of thought was abruptly interrupted by none other than the fast movements of an extremely excited Jiraiya. She watched in amazement as he went from aisle to aisle picking and choosing out the multiple miniature garments which were available. It was with her trained eye alone that she recognised how he was choosing more female suited clothes then that of a female.

_Does he want it to be a girl? I wonder..._

It was as if by instinct that she felt compelled to gently place her hand onto her massive abdomen. Once there, she tenderly stroked it and her mind had begun to flash many possible images. The first was of her holding a tiny bundle within her arms and having Jiraiya's powerful embrace around her. The next was of Jiraiya and the infant on the changing table, and the pure bliss which were coming from his face. The third was of the child nestling at breast, with the two of them peering down at the beautiful creature which had been born out of their union.

"Tsunade...?"

She only had to blink once to realise that his questioning face was almost in nose distance from her own. Instead of pulling away, she spent a few moments observing his gentle grey eyes. Those same eyes were the ones which she kept envisioning that her child would have...

At the sudden realised of what she had dared to admit to herself, she found herself averted her gaze from that of Jiraiya and promptly altering the conversation.

"That was fast"

And before she could deduct his next actions, she felt him dump a few of the chosen clothes into her inanimate arms and she soon understood that he expected her opinion on all of the choices which he had made.

The first one was a set of matching blue trousers and accompanying long sleeved shirt. It was simple and practical, so she placed it into his hands. The second one was a cute frilly cream dress which Tsunade was surprised that it wasn't pink. The third was a white nightie which she also added to the pile. In fact she as she progressed through the selection of male and female attire, she had only rejected one third of the original pile.

Jiraiya had once again returned to the aisles and rapidly returned the so called rejects and he promptly placed her chosen many into one of the typical net like clothes shop baskets. And Tsunade could not help but wonder why exactly he had chosen garments of the highest calibre.

He then approached her grinning:

"You appear to lost in thought, my dear"

All Tsunade could do was to weakly smile.

"I'm still finding it incredible to just how seriously you are taking all of this..."

She expected him to become offended by her murmurings, but she had been wrong...

"Anyone who bears my name should have nothing much but the best..."

It was at this statement alone that had nearly caused Tsunade's heart to skip a beat.

"Let us get going to mummy section"

She nearly found herself bursting into laughter as she realised how she was beginning to like this version of Jiriaya more and more.

...

Having spent the entire day in none other than the baby store, Tsunade was pleased to learn that none only had Jiraiya shown that he could be incredibly serious when the circumstances demanded it from him, but he even had a humorous non-perverted nature.

As they exited the store, which the countless shopping bags slung around Jiraiya's muscular shoulders. However since it was midday, they had progressed into a busy village centre. Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya realised the mistake which they had made by walking among them, as suddenly every single one of the Konoha residents had turned around to face them and stare at none other than her massive stomach.

Tsunade felt really uncomfortable at all of their stares of judgements. She felt paralysed and extremely self conscious at their scanning eyes. And then suddenly, Jiraiya had done something most unexpected, he had stepped towards her and placed a possessive peak of affection onto none other than her forehead.

She watched amazed as the villagers slowly returned to their daily activities. But she could tell that each one of their observers had walked away with an extreme curiosity in the depths of their eyes.

Her instincts prompted her to shut her eyes and relish in the moment, as there was one single determined thought which had dominated her mind.

_I have found my Hashirama..._


	7. Commitment

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Ever since that faithful day in the shopping square, Tsunade's confusion to feelings towards her white haired team mate Jiraiya had become quite clear. She no longer viewed him as an immature fool whose sense of responsibility was next to nought. Instead as she contemplated further, she began to consider the possibility that his lecherous pervert persona was merely a facade for his true nature, the one which was gradually revealing itself to her. And if she was right about her assumptions, then the thought of marrying the father of her child would no longer be considered to be a barbaric notion.

As they slowly made their way to the maternity doctor in the village centre, a seven month pregnant Tsunade could not help but become curious at the even brighter gleam which was coming from the deeps of his glorious grey eyes. In the past, she may have considered it to be a signal of one of his impending acts of perverseness, but as she had been observing him over the months, she could tell that there was something with he seemed to be itching to say. Yet before she could even pluck up the courage to start up a conversation, they had come face to face with the large four floored Konoha hospital.

Entering the maternity ward had not proven to be a difficult task, since most of the expectant mothers would prearrange their visits to avoid any sort of queue formations. Yet what she had found most surprised was the manner in which the hospital staff received them. Because it was as they moved closer and closer to the information desk, that she noticed the nurses who were going past them gazed at them with curiosity and amazement. However there was the occasional approving nod, which implied one possible thing to her that the possibility of founding an amorous relationship with Jiriaya would be something that the populace would welcome without debate.

The white clad woman at the main desk looked up and smiled as they approached her and it was Jiriaya who spoke.

"Lady Tsunade has an appointment with Doctor Mamsey"

If she were any younger, she was certain that her face would have erupted into a cute blush at just how respectfully her love interest had addressed her.

The secretary simply smiled and responded:

"Through the second door on your right"

With those words alone, he had grabbed for her hand and he began to drag her to said place. His eagerness to go made her wonder if it had become contagious the infant which had began to stretch within her stomach. Its activeness made her think contemplate on the impending arrival and the pain which would come with childbirth.

The room they entered was roughly five by five metres. To the far right corner, there was an examination bed and beside it there was an ultra sound machine. It was also the place where the doctor's chair had been placed. While beside the entrance door, there were two chairs, which Tsunade presumed were for any companions of the expecting mother.

Doctor Mamsey was a petite young woman with shoulder length brunette hair and green eyes. Her face was long and she wore a white coat.

"Let us get you to the bed, shall we?" Tsunade heard her say into a soft approachable tone.

She found herself being guided to the bed and assisted up the step which had seemingly been put there for this purpose and this purpose alone. Jiriaya seemed a little perturb that he hadn't been the one to help her up to the examination bed but instead it had been the doctor.

Instead she watched as he manoeuvred himself close to her side, and bearing a facial expression, which if the female doctor would have taken heed of, would have sent the message of daring him to not be present for the check up of their child.

As she found herself becoming comfortable on the table, she could not help but become distracted by the bubbling chakra of her white haired teammate. The hardened expression caused goose bumps to run up her neck as this domineering stance was being to turn her on, so to speak. It seemed as if her original attraction to him was being intensified by the fact that she was so close to delivering the child which he had sired.

_Over the months, he has changed so dramatically...if he had been like this all those years ago, then we would have most likely be going through this at the same age as Minato and Kushina._

Her attention soon reverted back to doctor who had carefully pulled up the pink maternity top, to reveal her incredibly swollen stomach. She stopped herself from tensing when she felt her plastic gloved hands firmly pressing around the low half of her abdomen. It wasn't a pleasing sensation, but after a few moments, she felt one of the infant's hands pressing outwards, almost as if to stop the foreign force from imposing on its home, its territory.

Tsunade could not help but laugh to herself at just how attached she had become to the little life which, thanks to its father, had been able to grow within her with a true resilience. Her maternal instincts had allowed her to marvel at just how special such an occurrence was, because in her younger days, she had never considered the possibility of actually bringing a full living and breathing human being.

She then noticed that instead of pressing, the doctor had placed her attentive ear onto her bump as if to find a heartbeat. Tsunade wondered why she had opted to check the growth of the infant in the ancient away rather than referring to the machine...and then she recollected the time when Jiriaya had placed his chakra imprint on her, which had confirmed the child as his.

The doctor then recomposed herself and cleared her throat:

"The child's heartbeat is strong and she's very close..."

The room had suddenly gone exceptionally quiet and both Tsunade and Jiriaya were sharing sentiments of both fear and anticipation.

"Close to what...?" It was Jiriaya who finally managed to ask the pressing question.

The doctor then stood up from her chair and glanced firstly at her and then to Jiraiya.

"Pregnancies can last nine months, but there are exceptional cases when the child needs to come out earlier"

Tsunade immediately noticed as Jiraiya's mouth had gaped wide open in shock.

"How long...?" she dared to ask.

"One month" With her answer, the doctor had swiftly left the room and left the two stunned parents in utter silence.

Tsunade felt as if her whole head was spinning and her heart was beating incredibly fast. She became overwhelmed with fear and hurt, as it suddenly hit her that the time was so approaching. Over the months, she had become so comfortable and learnt that she was not in fact alone in the world, but there were people who had gone out of her way and tended to all of her needs. Yet now that she was so close to giving birth, she knew that she would once again be out in the world alone and without the support of those who she had come to consider as her family.

_I don't want to leave..._

Before she realised what was happening, a loud sob had escaped from her mouth and large tears had began to cascade her cheeks. Her shoulders began to shake and her senses began to go wild.

"Tsunade...?" Jiriaya had approached her slowly with a concerned face, and attempted to gain her attention. But as she became more distraught, she turned away but the reality of her situation had only made her feel even worse.

After what seemed to be an eternity, she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her quivering pregnant form. Even though Jiraiya hadn't done this many times due to his sense of honour, she was now extremely grateful that he was doing do. And soon enough her wails had become muffled and gradually ceased.

They then broke apart their embrace, and she was met with his warm smile.

"Tsunade..." the mention of her name had prompted him to do something most unexpected. He had slightly backed away from the table and gotten down onto his knees, and she heard the words which she had never thought that she would hear coming out of his mouth. And then she found herself gazing straight into his grey eyes.

"I Jiraiya Monogatari swear on my life alone that I will dedicate my life to you and make sure that you will never be alone again..."

Her mouth gaped open as he took her hand into his.

"Princess Tsunade of the Senju clan will you allow me the honour of becoming my wife and my soul mate?"

Only a moment a go she had cried her heart out, but the true sincerity in his eyes had caused her to react in the most unanticipated manner; she flung her head back and burst into a fit of giggles.

Jiriaya had given her exactly what she desired, but in her current confused frame of mind, the many years of his perverted nature had flooded back into her mind. Her maternal instincts had been put on hold, and fragments of her old persona were what were deferring her from even taking Jiraiya's declaration of commitment to her as being a joke.

"Oh do not be ridiculous Jiraiya..."

She watched as his soft expression had become gloomy and slightly disappointed.

"...after so many years of being the perverted novelist who would chat up any young girl, what makes you think that I, a woman en par to your age, would satisfy your needs"

A part of her quickly realised that she had indirectly stated that it was he who had the problem, and her selfish ego was confident that there couldn't possibly be anything which he could say to cleanse the poor image he had projected to her for so many years.

_He's grinning...no...He's beaming..._

It was true that Jiriaya had lifted up his head and only shown her his face of bliss, and he spoke the most amazing words which she had ever heard him say...

"Tsunade...you have always been the only woman I have ever wanted. I have never entered into a serious relationship with any of my liaisons and all the females in my books are all based on only one female..."

She suddenly realised the terrible mistake which she had made.

Jiraiya then pulled her close to his chest and whispered three beautiful words:

"They were always you and only you"

At that moment she became inflicted but many questions, excuses, doubts...

"I'm not good enough to be your wife..., I tried to single handily kill the child..., I'm a drunk..., and I'm not worthy..."

Jiraiya pulled away from her and he lifted her chin gently, and murmured softly

"I never intended for you to leave...no...My dream has always been for us to come together as a family and raise our child together"

Tsunade let in a deep breath and slowly she felt her selfish self dissolving away and being replaced by her feelings for her white haired finance and her cravings of having a stable and secure home.

"Tsunade...?" This time his eyes pierced themselves straight into her soul. "Will you marry me?"

Having finally been assured that this Jiraiya was here to stay and her old persona had been laid to rest, she responded in the most appropriate way.

"Yes...yes...I will...most definitely..."

She smiled tenderly as she saw tears swell within his eyes, and something into her mind clicked. She slowly began to lean forward and placed her petite lips straight onto his static lips. She placed her hand onto his shoulders and it did not take him look to gently pull her into his arms. She began to deepen the kiss and he promptly returned the passion. Their lips puckered and their chakras began to flicker. This was the day in which they had made a commitment to each other, their family and as extension, for life.

At last, after so many decades, the Monogatari prince and the Senju princess were finally taking the leap of faith and succumbing to the very expectations of the older generations of Konoha. And this would have most likely have never been possible, if it hadn't been for the miracle unborn life which would soon grace them with its long awaited presence...


	8. Union

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Standing in front of a large canopy body sized mirror, Tsunade could not help but marvel at how exactly she had managed to come so very far. As she observed her refection, she could not believe that this whitely clad swollen stomached glowing woman was smiling back at her. She admired her loose blonde hair which had been neatly brushed behind her ears, her even more noticeable breasts and the extremely extravagant silk wedding white kimono gown which had been tailored specifically for a mother so close to delivering her child.

At the thought of the life which every passing day seemed to want to push itself out into the world, had made her heart flutter a great deal. She was still amazed that the glowing figure in the mirror was her and seeing herself like this, so blissful and calm , signified that after so long of having to rely on herself, she had finally found a man who would take care of her and their child.

The previous month, which she liked to refer to as the pre-honeymoon period, she had spent every minute, of every hour of every day with her white haired finance. Their passion for each other grew and the symbol of their love was more then apparent with the growing life within her stomach. She was sure that without their soon to be born child, they would have never come to this day...

_This is the day in which I will relinquish my power and put it into the hands of my husband..._

There would have surely been a time in which she would have recoiled at such a thought, but now that he wedding day had finally arrived, and looking into the mirror to see herself in a white traditional wedding kimono. She could not help but relish in the fact that soon enough, she would no longer have to rely on herself to make it in the world...because having Jiraiya as her protector and birthing his child meant that she would once again have the security of a family as she once had when her grandfather and parents had been alive.

"Lady Tsunade...you are truly stunning in your wedding gown"

All she needed to do was to take a step back, and she saw their reflections clearly within the mirror. Kushina, the one who had broken her silence, was clad in a knee length white silk kimono lined in swirls of green whilst Shizune, who stood on her other side, was clad in a dark purple long sleeved kimono. They were perfectly dressed for her big day...

Yet the more she pondered upon her current attire, the more she wondered about the identity of the child which she was carrying with her abdomen. Most women would be bossy and selfish on a day such as this, however as Tsunade was already advanced in age, her thoughts converged on one important detail. And that was the anticipation of promptly being able to present Jiriaya with a healthy child and thus prove to him and the world that she hadn't completely forsaken her royal upbringing. As she would no doubt show her Senju ancestors, in their shrine of rest, that she would be carrying on their famous bloodline.

...

Meanwhile in another room, Jiriaya and Minato had convened in one of the underground rooms of the massive shrine area. Truth be told, when Jiriaya had struggled in finding a suitable place to accommodate all of his potential wedding guests. Minato, his blonde haired student and the Yondaime, had suggested for them use the shrine which had been dedicated to Hashirama, the great earth style user of Konoha. And if one were to venture over to western culture, then such a place could have easily doubled up as being a church.

"Minato..."

A blonde spiky haired young man turned towards him and smiled.

"Yes Jiraiya sensei..."

Jiraiya had considered his next words wisely, as he had long since pondered on a very serious matter at hand. Minato had been the first man who he had come to consider as being his adoptive son, and it seemed appropriate to make this following request.

"I would be honoured if you and Kushina could be the godparents to my unborn child"

Minato's broad smile suddenly faltered as his face had been overtaken by shock.

"Me...?" he managed to stuttered.

Jiraiya observed the hesitance in his student's eyes.

"Yes, Minato...you"

He watched as the blonde haired hokage began to tremble and he could not help but recollect the moment in which Tsunade had come up with a variety of excuses as to why she wasn't good enough to be his wife.

"But I don't come from a legendary clan...I don't posses your great skill...I'm not..."

It was almost instinctually that Jiraiya had thumped his large hand onto his spiky yet fluffy hair, and as his student gazed up at him, he smiled widely.

"You and Kushina are perhaps a few of the only people I trust, and my child will already have an uncle, so godparents will only help her have a more rounded life"

At just how wide Minato's smile had grown, Jiriaya realised that he had let a very important detail slip, and he hoped that if his student knew any better, he wouldn't go revealing such a detail until the time came for his child to enter this world.

Minato slowly slipped away from his domineering hand and he recomposed himself. Yet Jiraiya could see the calmness returning to his student's eyes, and he knew that he would most likely get the answer what he was after.

"Alright Jiraiya sensei, I would be honoured to be the godparent to your...child"

Jiriaya simply nodded, but he had noticed the slight pause which Minato had made when referring to his soon to be born child.

However, his thoughts soon reverted back to the major event at hand. This was the day which he had been waiting for his entire life, and he began to make his way towards the door...He would finally become the lawful husband to the woman who he had been pursuing since he had just made genin.

_The time has finally come..._

...

Every single eye, including Jiraiya's had found themselves on none other than the beautiful bride who had appeared in the entrance door of the makeshift ceremony hall. She was a rather tall female with a set of brilliant breasts. Her long white kimono wedding dress cascaded down onto the ground behind her and it covered her modesty appropriately. Yet the most distinguishing aspect of her attire was the lengthy net like veil which hid her identity from the crowds who had assembled in the massive airy chamber hall. However as the residents of Konoha, each and every one of them knew just who exactly the mysterious bride was.

Tsunade slowly came forward and she immediately noticed that it was none other than Orochimaru who was patiently waiting for her by the side of very door which she had entered. She watched as he leisurely extended her arm towards her, and her heart began to pound frantically. After what had seemed an eternity of waiting, she had finally arrived at the very moment in her life when she was finally walking down the aisle to wed with the man who would care for her for the rest of her days.

From the moment when they had began to progress down what seemed to be an extremely elongated aisle. Tsunade's senses had become muffled until as she took notice of where the countless amounts of eyes which followed her every bulky move going further and further towards the nuptial alter which had been deliberately brought in for her and Jiriaya.

It was an arch styled nuptial alter which was specially wound in roses ranging from red to white to pink to blue, which she instantly recognised as being a symbol of the union between her and the Monogatari prince.

As she and her dark haired team mate draw closer to such a beautifully decorated place, Tsunade wondered whether or not the citizenry of the hidden leaf village knew of Jiraiya's ancient and powerful blood lineage.

She was suddenly brought back into the realms of reality, by the fact that they had stopped walking and she was gradually being helped up to the same podium as Jiriaya, by her finance's best man and their sensei. Surely if she hadn't been carrying such a massive with in her stomach, then she would have managed to climb the slightly elevated platform.

Once there, she began increasingly aware of the masculine domineering eyes which had lain themselves of every inch of her clothed form. It was no doubt Jiraiya who was attempting to come to terms with the fact that after so many years of being rejected at her hand, the two of them were finally coming together to form their very own family.

From underneath her wedding veil, she scanned the smartly clad Jiraiya. He was wearing cream puffy pants and a matching long white kimono shirt with long bell sleeves. Its edges where lined in flamed styled patterns and below his outfit, she saw him wearing the customary chain mail which a shinobi master wore as a symbol of his everlasting position in the ninja world.

And then she was dragged out of her thoughts by none other than the voice of her aged sensei.

"We have gathered here today to bind these two souls in the processes of matrimony..."

Any murmurings which had been going on before had at that very moment ceased, and now every single guest's attention was on them and them alone. Tsunade was slightly uncomfortable about being in the public eye on such a vital day of her life, but to retain her confidence all she had to do was remember that she would have Jiriaya and the support of her old friends.

Sarutobi then turned his attention towards Jiraiya and she could practically anticipate what his following words would be.

"Do you Jiraiya take Tsunade to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"

Tsunade smirked under her veil as she realised that every Konoha guest was hanging on his words.

"I Jiraiya, take you Tsunade to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part"

Tsunade could not help but subtly grab for her swollen stomach, as all the attention had been directed towards her.

"Do you Tsunade take Jiraiya to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to obey until do you part?"

Her old personality would have most likely revolted when she had heard the mention of 'obey' because she had never thought that she would willingly yield to Jiraiya's will, but on this day and in this hour, she knew exactly what her answer would be.

"I Tsunade, take you Jiraiya to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to obey, till death do us part"

As she spoke the words of binding, she could instantly tell how everyone was stunned at just how easily she had relinquished her domineering status to the man who she had just realised that she had loved all along. Yet saying these words made her feel as if she was assuring that she would always have a secure home in which she would be able to stand beside her team mate, as they reared the life which had been created out of their union.

"You may now kiss the bride"

At this statement alone, Tsunade had flung the veil of her face and just as they had done when Jiraiya had proposed to her. Their lips had promptly puckered together declaring their union to be legit and unquestionable. And it was also the first time in which they had publically shown their status as man and wife.

Yet when the two of them finally broke the kiss of passion, Sarutobi's final words had no doubt the lasting impact on the crowds who had been specifically invited to witness the joining of two of the powerful Sannin of their land.

"On this day we stand witness to the union which has been consummated between the Tsunade the heir to Senju clan and Jiraiya...the heir to the renowned Monogatari clan..."

And, by the mention of 'Monogatari' in the same context as 'Jiraiya', it had taken only a split second for the whole crowd to rise in uproar at what the Sandaime hokage had just confirmed to them. After all they had just realised that they had just learnt a crucial piece of information about the Sannin which they had always considered as being an irresponsible pervert and not a prince of the most powerful shinobi clan which had ever dawned on the planes of existence.


	9. Reputation

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

At the very moment that Sarutobi sensei had put his name in association with that of the Monogatari clan. Jiriaya was quite certain that uproar or at least some disbelief would occur. Yet he really didn't want to think about such things when he was finally locking lips with his new wife. From the moment that Tsunade had said yes to his proposal, his entire course for life had changed dramatically. He no longer had to worry about the day when his child would come to see him out to inquire about the absence of its mother...no Tsunade had finally come to her senses and finally they would be able to become the family that he had always envisioned.

He slowly moved away from his beautiful mate, as he had become increasingly aware of the many piercing and disbelieving eyes word were not laying themselves onto the two of them. Even though they were not verbally expressing their feelings, the looks on their faces proved to have an even worse effect. He had expected some sort of resentment to ensue towards him, yet he had not thought that Tsuande's own heritage would be discredited now that she had taken the leap of faith to finally marry him. It hurt his ego to just how cruel they could be even on such an important day such as this, and he knew that regardless of what his team mates and the elders thought, he would have to make his stand and declare himself as the most powerful shinobi of the entire leaf village.

His eyes scanned the masses with a certain fury burning from the depths of them. They depicted their disbelief in accepting that Jiraiya was clearly descended from such a potent bloodline. However, considering all the years that he had spent building on his image as the perverted, he knew that the time had finally come to toss that persona and assume his true identity, the one what he was born with.

His eyes then flickered towards his heavily pregnant wife and he immediately became conscious of just how uncomfortable she felt for being at the centre of such disbelieving eyes. From the connection which they shared, he could sense her feelings of insecurity and fear. After all she had just publically renounced her power, so now she completely and utterly relied on him to fix this big mess.

Jiraiya immediately set to work by scanning the crowds to find one particular person, and once they had locked eyes, he had sent an unspoken message. He knew above everything else that in such circumstances, that individual who he could trust the most was his long time best friend Orochimaru.

His black haired team mate moved quite rapidly, as it was within and mere few seconds that he had positioned himself at the back of the altar. It was the ideal place to be able to get Tsunade out of the view of those defying glares, and feeling safer then she was now.

_I am so sorry that I let this happen, my love. _Jiraiya thought to himself, as he gentler helped Orochimaru to lift a stunned Tsunade away from the altar and into the security of the older generations of the hidden leaf.

From the very moment that Tsunade understood what was happening, she realised that her new husband Jiraiya was finally going to make his stand and relinquish his tarnished reputation once and for all.

She was relieved that she was no longer in the direction of that piecing stare. All of senses had gone haywire and now that Jiraiya had so responsibly taken her out of the spotlight, they no longer felt as if their child was being placed in danger.

She watched in amazement at just how calmly Jiraiya, dressed in his grey and red regalia, had turned towards the crowds and began his sermon.

"Yes ninjas and residents of Konoha just as my hair is white and my eyes are grey, I am truly the last living descendant of the divinely clan which you all know as the Monogataris"

Tsunade found herself shifting slightly in Orochimaru's arms from where they had retired to the shadows. Her fear had now been displaced by none of other then her intrigue to learn more about her husband's bloodline. After all she knew that there was an incredibly high change that their child would be born a Monogatari rather then a Senju.

"I was roughly three years old when I was brought to the hidden leaf by one of my relatives. You may wonder why they chose to bring me here, well...it is because the Shodaime and my clan had made a promise to one another to take care of each others' children if the other was unable to do so"

Tsunade then understood that the union which had taken place between the two of them was most likely something that her grandfather would highly smile upon. Other than that it signified that their child would have the bloodlines of two of the most powerful shinobi clans running through its very veins.

"As the Nidaime at the time fear that I would be placed into jeopardy should my true heritage be revealed it was decided that Sarutobi sensei, the third hokage should become my guardian"

At such a revelation, Tsunade could not help but turn her attention towards their aged teacher, and admire him for his dedication to his students. She had never known the full extent of his and Jiraiya's relationship until this point, and now that it was made clear, she could not feel more proud of herself for finally seeing her white haired teammate as a worthy candidate for a husband.

"My ease to achieve the treasured Sage mode and my skill in applying even the most complex of ninjustu types are both due to the Monogatari blood which flows through my veins..."

At that moment Tsunade immediately place her hand into her stomach as if trying to determine whether or not the unborn child would also possess the godly powers of its father. A part of her feared that if the child did them it would always be under constant threats of attack because of who it's elders we're. Yet another was curious to see just what sort of shinobi would a child from the Monogatari and the Senju blood could produce.

"Without a Monogatari as one of your prized Sannin, none of you would have prospered and procreated as easily as you are doing now"

Jiraiya's fine was dupe finally taking another tone, and Tsunade along with a couple of others could tell that the white haired shinobi master would make sure to out the younger generation back into their reflective roles.

"Comprising of Tsunade, Orochimaru and myself we worked to the utmost of our abilities to fight in the front lines and win the third shinobi war which could have easily destroyed the lives which you all so covet"

Tsunade exclude to help but notice that ever so slightly, her husband's tone of voice resembled that of an alpha male more and more. She hoped that each and every one of the villagers would take complete heed of his words so that there would be no chance in the future for their child's heritage to be questioned.

And then without the slightest warning she felt a stab of momentary pain and it caused her to wince slightly.

"With his snakes, Orochimaru has single handily provided affective ingredients to strengthen your natural abilities so as a whole we can become an even more powerful village..."

Tsunade digested the words but her concentration was abrupt by another wave of pain. Unlike the first one she could tell that this foreign feeling was coming from none other the depths of her swollen stomach. Her immediate reaction was to gently place her hand onto such a sensitive sort of place, as she was beginning to think that her discomfort was being caused by the baby being a little more proactive than usual.

"With my wife's slugs, Tsunade has single handily cured many of your life threatening illnesses and made sure that you would survive from the injuries you acquired from our most deadly enemies"

She felt like skipping for joy when she heard Jiraiya publically call him his wife. It made her feel cared for and respected. Her moment of bliss was suddenly interrupted by a series of sharp pains running up the side of her stomach, and this time round, Tsunade was beginning to consider the possibility that something could actually be wrong. But before she could ponder upon the matter any longer, the pains had ceased and everything around her sensitive area had calmed.

"Tsunade..."

Tsunade then became aware of the concern which seemed to seep out of Orochimaru's eyes, and she responded accordingly:

"Everything's fine"

It was at that very moment that she chose to jump up out of his lap, and approached Jiraiya's current position a little more. As expected Orochimaru had promptly followed her, and before she even had the chance of getting to close, she felt his arm tightly wrap around her.

She turned towards him and frowned annoyed:

"You're getting a bit too close aren't you?"

Tsunade saw an uneasy expression upon his face and she knew that he understood exactly what she had implied by her question. Yet his answer did not prove to be as satisfying as she would have hoped.

"A woman in your condition shouldn't commit strenuous activities"

Tsunade could not help but let out a stifled giggle. His tone truly resembled that of Jiraiya when he was penalising her for putting their child into unnecessary danger, and then they turned their attention back to their white haired team mate.

"And last of all, without my superior skills in both practical as well as theoretical shinobi arts, many of your secrets would have surely gotten themselves into the wrong hands"

It was almost an immediate reaction which had affected each every one of those who were present. They all had their heads down in shame and Tsunade was now confident that they had finally accepted not only Jiraiya's status but theirs as well. And as she became more relaxed she suddenly felt a funny sensation coming from her stomach and a certain weakness had run down her legs.

However she maintained her strength until the very moment that she had heard him mutter the golden words.

"After our years of service, should you all at least give us the decency of accepting and respecting our choices and our desires?"

Her legs had suddenly gone weak, yet before she could collapse onto the floor, she felt Orochimaru grip onto her very being and hold her close to his muscular chest. If she was in complete strength, then she would have most likely pummelled him for being too familiar with her.

"Tsunade...there's something's wrong, isn't there?"

The sharp pains which she had experienced before were not something that she should have dismissed. She had hoped that she would somehow be able to hold on and allow Jiraiya that time which he most certainly deserved in the spotlight...

However even though she wanted it, the pressure had suddenly began to intensify and soon enough she felt her stomach muscles clenching and she attempted to curl inwards. The pains had once again returned but this time they were here to stay. And fortunately for her, she didn't need to explicitly explain to Orochimaru as to what was wrong, as she made it quite clear when she wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach.

The first wave of pain struck and Tsunade found herself trying to hold back a scream, and then another and then another, her entire body was trembling from the extreme discomfort that it was under. She had always known from her medical ninja studies that childbirth was one of the most painful experiences a woman could go through, and now that it was happening to her first hand, and she feared that she wouldn't be strong enough to survive it.

It was only for a brief moment that she turned to look at Orochimaru's face, and her pained eyes were probably all that he had to see.

"The baby..."

Yet before she had fully succumbed to the darkness which had taken over, she could hear Orochimaru's heart stabbing yell:

"Jirrraaaiiiya...!"


	10. Delivery

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

"Jirrraaaiyyyaaa" Orochimaru's piecing scream had instantly halted his very sentence, very word that he was going to say. It had been such a petrifying alarm that he immediately knew that something was very wrong indeed. He could tell from the crowds questioning expressions that they had also heard the cry and he knew that they would not cause him any more issues.

_My message has finally gotten across to them...I'm glad._

He quickly step of the back side of the stage and headed towards where his wife and teammate were most likely waiting. As he approached the two of them, his heart began to pound severely as he knew that Orochimaru wouldn't have dared to make such a ruckus if something wasn't terribly wrong.

It didn't take him long to find the two of the hidden away in a blind spot. With Orochimaru's back to him it didn't seem that there was anything particularly to worry about, but as he draw closer, he noticed that pained expression on his black haired teammates face and then he saw his wife.

From a first glance it looked as though she had fallen asleep in Orochimaru's arms but as he taped into the chakra signature he had placed in their child, he immediately realised what was happening. His imprint on Tsunade was fading and that could only mean one thing...his wife had gone into labour.

_I wonder how Orochimaru managed to hide her screams._

If they would have been in any other sort of circumstances, he would have probably reprimanded his snake loving friend for daring to hide such a fundamental warning from him. Yet with everything he had just had to fix, he knew that the crowds not being alerted to Tsunade's weakened state actually served to protect the child.

He rapidly came beside Orochimaru and placed his hand onto Tsunade's chest, so that he could gain a better understanding of the situation a hand. And it wasn't much if a surprise that her heart rate had raised exponentially.

"She tried to swallow her pains"

These words had somewhat wounded Jiraiya's ego, as a little voice in his head began to think that even after everything they had gone through, Tsunade would still back out.

He leaned forward and gently took his wife from out of Orochimaru's arms. He hoped that somehow by taking control, he would be able to show Tsunade that he was willing to go the way.

As he rose to his feet and turned towards the crowds once more, he instantly realised that Minato had already set to work by clearing a path so that he could easily get to the hospital. A part of him found it string that his student knew what was wrong with his wife before he did.

He examined that pain stricken face of his wife, and wondered if he would ever be able to prove himself to her. And a few moments later, he began to make a bee line directly for the exit of the Senju shrine. It didn't matter to him who saw his wife in such a state, as her having fainted didn't exactly explicitly show that she was in labour.

He found his fear quickly transforming t excitement when he finally managed to exit into the village, as the thing which he had eagerly been waiting for was finally due to make its entrance into the world.

...

Upon hearing the snake Sannin's panicked yell, Minato could instantly tell that Tsunade, Jiraiya's new wife had gone into the labour. He knew this as he had watched the exchange which had occurred between the two of them. He could not help but marvel at how adamant the lady Tsunade had been in suppressing her cries of pain. Even though his sensei may have interpreted as he not trusting him, Minato knew that she had most likely done it, so that her husband's time in the spotlight would not be interrupted.

Therefore, from the moment that his son's godfather had stepped off from the altar, he had emerged from the sidelines and stood in front of the confused guests. His mere presence alone had made them arise from their seats and become compliant to his commands.

He remained calm as he began to direct people out of the shrine and create a wide pathway in which his sensei could easily lass through. His wife Kushina had already gone ahead with Naruto and Shizune to the hospital. There was a part of him that considered Tsunade would most likely want her student, someone who she could trust to deliver the child.

Minato hoped that his sensei's rather inflated ego would not go haywire when he realised that Tsunade had keep her current condition silenced. He also prayed to Kami that the lady Tsunade would not encounter any unnecessary complications as while she finally brought the child into the world. Especially since from the medical reports which he had seen, he knew all too well that this would be the only child which would be born to the legendary Sannin.

As he made his way through the outside of the shrine and into the village, he contemplated on just how special this birth would be. He was convinced that the lord Orochimaru would never have a wife to bear his children as his general disregard for the other sex suggested that he was not all together heterosexual. Whereas now that his sensei and the Lady Tsunade had married, they would probably dedicate all their time to raising their child (especially Tsunade chances of further pregnancies were impossible due to her age and strenuous profession) and continue the legacy which they had built.

Minato knew that any child born to the Sannin would be under heavy criticism from the villagers and shinobi population combined. And he truly hoped that the three great ninja would be able to protect their child from such a demanding fate.

_Please Kami, let their child be born healthy and string, and protect the lady Tsunade so that her relationship with her husband and their child truly flourish into something beautiful._

...

Tsunade suddenly found herself returning from the realms of seemingly perpetual darkness. Her headache seemed to have dissipated and when her vision became focused, she realised that she was within the white walls of none other than Konoha hospital. Temporarily her mind didn't seem to register the pain of child labour as she nuzzled her face into Jiraiya's arms. She felt extremely safe in such a place until suddenly...a stab of pain pushed its way into her conscious mind and she let out a scream.

Her cry had immediately caused her husband to turn his face towards her, and then she saw his calming grey eyes pierce into her very soul. It also made her feel good that he was already clad in the blue gown required to enter into the birthing chamber.

And then suddenly the strenuous predicament she was in didn't seem to be so bad.

Within only a few seconds she saw Shizune approach her and she was wearing a long white medical gown. Even though such apparel meant that her student was most likely going to deliver their child, she still felt the need to affirm her suspicions.

She stretched out her arm and struggled to call her name:

"Shizune...!"

As her student approached them with a warm smile on her face, she could not help but reach out to grab onto her. She didn't care that the other medics were rushing around them, because she was more intent on getting his wishes across.

"Please make sure that nothing happens to our baby" her voice was defiantly becoming weak.

It seemed that as her adoptive daughter approached them, Jiraiya had slowly lowered her, so that they could be on the same level.

"I promise that nothing will happen to you or your baby"

With those words, Shizune had hurried away and entered one of the operating theatres, and if her mind didn't feel so foggy then she would have probably realised that they were preparing the room for her.

"Tsunade...nothing...absolutely nothing will happen to our child"

At the mention of their child, Tsunade found herself shifting to look towards her husband's neutral face.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before...I just wanted..." she suddenly winced again in pain and before she could process what was happening, Jiraiya had placed an affectionate kiss onto her forehead and she felt so much better.

"Its fine, love, I understand..."

Tsunade was about to relax when suddenly the operating room doors burst open to reveal Shizune and two assistant doctors.

"We are ready for her now"

Tsunade then felt Jiraiya carry her into the large clandestine room. Sure she had been in such a place before, but she hadn't yet had the experience of delivering a child let alone bearing one.

The room they entered was organised in a very meticulous manner. The large surgery bed was placed in the centre of the room, and rolling trays were located to the sides of the bed. There were also a few chairs around the bed and Tsunade suddenly screamed out, and she knew that she could no longer hold back her labour pains. The baby was now coming and she no longer had the strength to stop it.

She suddenly felt Jiraiya hurry forward and place her onto the surgery bed.

Everything occurred very quickly from that point onwards. She kept her eyes on her white haired husband, as she felt Shizune change her into a hospital gown and begin to feel around her stomach to gain a better understanding of the situation at hand. As the pain begin to get closer together, that she found herself gripped onto Jiraiya's hand as tightly as she possibly could.

"Alright on the count of three, you need to push my lady"

"One" Tsunade felt Jiraiya's aura gently passing into her own, and she felt her strength stabilising. The feeling of helplessness slowly dissolve away as she felt the pain prepare itself again.

"Two" Jiriaya began to caress her hand, and she felt warm and safe.

"Three" She suddenly thrust her head back screaming, and she obeyed Shizune when she spoke her command.

"Push...!"

She immediately complied and she felt her muscle contracting and relaxing, and then she felt the child beginning to slip out of her hold.

"Good...good my lady...on the next pain, push...!"

Tsuande gazed towards her husband, and she saw his reassured face. And then she felt a stab of pain and she pushed once more, and she heard her student's excited exclamation.

"I see a head of white hair"

If she would have been aware of Jiraiya's face, she would have seen it lit up on the mention of 'white hair'.

"Again"

She let out a scream and pushed onto more, and she felt the child slipping out even more. The pressures of child birth were beginning to lessen, and her fears of perishing in the process had disappeared. She may have been older then the ideal mother but combined with her husband's potent chakra, she now understood that she wouldn't be one of those unlucky few who wouldn't be able to see their child grow up.

She felt the child slip out a little more and she heard Shizune's jolly murmuring.

"White hair...white hair...a mini Lord Jiraiya...a mini Lord Jiraiya"

From just how seriously Jiraiya was staring at her pained face, she could tell that he hadn't heard what her adoptive daughter had muttered. The last push was defiantly the most difficult, and she felt even single muscle in her body clenching and after so much time of bearing the pain, her entire body was covered in sweat. But Jiraiya didn't seem to care in the slightest, as he leaned forward and placed a loving kissed onto her fevered forehead. And before he pulled away, he spoke some heart warming words into her right ear:

"My love, you will never be alone again. We shall be a family forever"

It was at the very moment that he had pulled back; that she had felt the pressure release and suddenly the room was filled with the cries of a newborn infant.

"Congratulations Lady Tsunade for you have given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl"

As she heard those words, she relaxed and watched as Shizune cleaned the squirming child in warm water. Her heart fluttered, as she saw Jiraiya eagerly receiving the tiny bundle of perfection, and she felt extremely proud that she had been the one to cause such tears of joy to escape from her husband's eyes.

Their family was finally complete.


	11. His Pride and Joy

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

"Congratulations Lady Tsunade for you have given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl"

Upon hearing such a joyful proclamation, Jiriaya had immediately begun to delve into a state of shock. Everything that he had always wanted was finally falling into place and now that he learnt that his child was none other than a female, he couldn't be more overjoyed.

He eagerly hurried over to where Shizune was carefully cleansing his now fussing infant and his hand clenched and released in pure anticipation of being able to finally hold such a wonderful miracle in his arms.

A part of him felt guilty about so willingly leaving the bedside of his wife, but his impatience to meet his daughter was far too great.

The moment that Shizune had turned around with his child, who had gently been placed onto a white blanket, the two of them caught each other's eyes for only a moment. And promptly enough, Tsunade's student had gently placed the tiny bundle into his awaiting arms.

It had only taken him a second to realise that what he was indeed holding was a being of flesh and blood which he himself had sired. He slowly brought up the infant to his face and once he was able to gain a better view of her, he was thrilled at what he could see.

On her head, he could see a mane of pure white spikiness. From the general manner of her hair, he could tell that she had most likely inherited the two side bangs of locks, which he could never quite control. All this made him feel like skipping, as he realised that his miniature creature of perfection had inherited his famously rare hair colour as well as texture.

_So that's what Shizune was mumbling about white hair._

His eyes scanned every inch of her petite features. He silently cooed at her softly clenched minute hands and their incredibly small fingers. Even though were nowhere near developed enough, he could tell that she had also inherited his muscular hands.

_Finally a child of my blood_

He continued onto her slowly moving to torso and quickly realised that she has inherited her mother's compact feminine chest. He was glad about this as it meant that his innocent daughter would grow up to be just as stunning as his gorgeous wife.

Next he observed her slender baby legs and her petite feet, and once again be could see Tsunade in them all the way.

Soon enough he braved himself to gaze upon her resting face, and he was extremely pleased to see what was in front of him. She had her mother's tight lips, but her nose and face was exactly the same as his.

At that very moment that he had reached her eyes, something most marvellous transpired. The closed eyelids immediately fluttered open to reveal a set of exquisite grey eyes, naturally from Tsunade, which were shaped in exactly the same manner as his were. And as the faultless creature blinked her eyes to focus of him, his heart rate began to go up as he noticed the ever so slight indicator that she had also had minute lines starting off from the bottom half of her eyes. And he was sure that in a couple of years they would resemble his own.

Having realised this, the smile which had started to form on his face grew larger and larger, and then he was brought out of his daydream by the sound of the cutest thing he had ever heard.

His child's face lit up in a smile and she let out a loud baby chortle. It truly warmed his heart to see that his child was just as happy as he was to be able to finally meet one another.

_Everything is perfect. I have the wife of my dreams and a child who is not only a girl but she looks exactly like me...oh thank you Kami for making my life complete._

Jiraiya's silence was suddenly interrupted by nine other then the opening of the operating theatre's door, which revealed none other than their aged sensei. His face was warm and his eyes showed that he highly approved of the union which had taken place between the two of his students.

Jiraiya soon realised that when he approached his wife once more with his sensei as his companion, that she had been all cleaned up and wrapped up in warm blankets. He could immediately tell that it had been Shizune who had made her lady so comfortable that Tsunade had seemingly dozed off without the slightest indication of even having done so.

At that moment that the two of them sat down, his wife's eyes lifted themselves open and he was greeted with a warm and contented smile. And by this mere act alone Jiriaya could tell that his wife was just as blissful as he was at the current moment in time.

_Oh my love you have done so well that you deserve all the rest you desire._

And then he was brought back into the reality by nine other than their sensei's approving words.

"It's about time that the two of you tied the knot"

By the mere time of their teacher's voice, Jiriaya could not help by smile and just as before his happy child also let out a soft chortle. And this had no doubt been Sarutobi sensei's indicator that he was holding the new born infant within his embrace.

Jiraiya watched as his teacher slowly manoeuvred himself in such a way, so to he could gain a better view of the tiny infant. And then he heard his sensei's proclamation.

"Oh Jiriaya, she looks exactly like you"

It was at that moment at Jiriaya realised that he had forgotten to bundle up his child, and he quickly wrapped the white blanket around her. In his overwhelmed state, he had forgotten that infants were not as proficient at retaining their own body heat.

"She is absolutely perfect"

With those words he found himself lifting up his tiny bundle of cuteness and placing a kiss onto her forehead.

"Jiriaya..." he was suddenly altered to Tsunade's raspy voice, and he immediately came to her side. All the while he could see the approving smile of their teacher.

It was then that his sensei spoke the answer which his wife was just about to ask.

"You've always wanted a daughter, isn't that right Jiriaya?"

A light blush came across Jiraiya's face when his sensei had so obviously stated the one thing which he had kept so very secret for his many adult years. And when he saw Tsunade's relieved facial expression, his face had gone red as well. Sure his sensei's statement had proved to be a bit awkward, but from his wife's face he could tell that she was pleased to have been able to learn such a fact. He knew that he should have said something earlier about his desires for the sex of the child, but he didn't want the villagers or even his wife to chastise him for not loving the child, if she had turned out to be a boy.

"How amusing...a female Jiriaya" Tsunade's soft words made feel all warm and tingling inside.

"I guess my predictions of carrying a Monogatari were accurate"

Jiriaya had considered coming up with an argument against such a statement, his sensei had chosen that very moment to bid his farewells to them. It was quite obvious that he was off to inform Minato about the new parents and their soft skinned offspring.

_I suppose that any argument I would have come up with, wouldn't have really be an authentic one..._

His thoughts showed that even he, would had stated that a blonde child would have had no less merit, was deep down ecstatic that he had managed to secure the future for his divine ancestors with his white haired child.

...

Minato and his wife Kushina along with their eight month old son had been patiently abiding their time in the waiting room of Konoha hospital. They had expected Orochimaru to also be among them, but for some strange reason he had assured them that as the child's uncle he had more pressing matters to take care of.

Minato was eager to know which parent his godchild took after more, whilst his red hard wife was more intrigued to find out the sex of the child. Their son, who was still far too young to really comprehend anything which had been going on around him, had awoken and dozed off several times as they had waited.

Yet they weren't the only ones who were waiting to learn such news. As Minato had promptly become aware of the massive crowds which had gathered around the hospital itself. The father in him silently scowled at how the Sannin couldn't be given the decency of privacy at such a sensitive time yet the hokage side knew that their curiosity was to be expected. After all, his sensei and the lady Tsunade had been dancing around each other for so many years. And now that they had not only committed themselves to another, but also had a child to symbolise their union, he was not surprised that the residential and shinobi population combined wanted to see their heir for with their very own eyes.

"Do you think that the lady Tsunade has already given birth?"

Yet before could contribute his thoughts into the equation, the Shodaime had entered the waiting room with a massive grim on his face.

Minato and his wife, carrying Naruto, had immediately risen to their feet, and as expected their son had promptly returned to the world of the living.

His predecessor approached them with a certain spring in his step and that was sufficient indication alone that Tsunade and the child were alive and well.

"Well..." it was Kushina who had made the first move.

The grey haired Hokage's grin grew even more.

"The lady Tsunade has delivered a healthy and beautiful baby girl"

Minato's mouth grew wider and wider, as he realised that his sensei's wish had really come to pass. However he was soon halted by a single glance of the Shodaime and he knew what he had to do.

He swiftly began to make his way out of the hospital with his famous white coat billowing behind him. Each and every one of his step depicted his station as the fourth hokage, and as expected all the late night staff had quickly moved to get out of his way.

As he made his way to the doors, he pushed them wide open and then he came face to face with over a thousand pairs of eyes staring at him and waiting for him to do his job as their hokage.

"People of Konoha..." he then became aware of how the day had so seamlessly slipped into night and he put in his official speaking voice.

"...the lord and lady Monogatari-Senju have welcomed into the world a beautiful and healthy baby girl"

And much to his confusion, a momentary silence had come to pass. Yet before he could fall into the pits of dismay their attitude promptly changed and each and every one of the, had burst into a loud flurry of celebration applause and broke out into song.

"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow..."

Minato found himself having to fight off an amused grin as the crowds' reaction to sing praise, as they obviously wanted his sensei to hear that they had learnt their lesson.

He soon found himself looking at the hospital once more and he knew that the other medical staff had already set to work by moving the new parents and their child to their own private room for the night.

And once such merry making had ceased, he made his final with declaration to the crowds and he watched them as they made their way home. And promptly enough he turned around to return to his own family.

As he walked and considered that day's events, he became quite convinced that tomorrow morning the crowds would be of far greater numbers, as it was quite obvious that they all wanted to see the infant for themselves.

_Yet they won't see my godchild before I do._

...

As Jiraiya lovingly rocked his sleeping child within his sturdy arms, he didn't know whether he should have either laughed or cried when he heard the crowds singing for his child down below. It was a very small gesture indeed, yet he was beginning to see that the sermon he had delivered had been more then overdue and hopefully it was yielding results.

He promptly turned away from the window, once the spectators began to disperse and he allocated his attention towards the room which they had been given. It was quaint and coloured in a pale blue. Running alongside the window there were a group of comfortable sofa beds, which were approximately two metres away from his sleeping wife.

He had considered protesting when the medics had lifted her from one bed to another, but he could see that from just how peacefully she slumbered, this one was by far more comfortable then the surgical bed.

There were wardrobes on the other side of her bed, and at the end of them there was a small passageway which lead them to a fully equipped bathroom on the left and a door of exit when going straight.

Yet the furniture which had caught his eye the most had been the white baby cot which they had placed next to Tsunade. His stomach churned in fury because as he glanced down anew, he was not about to deposit his one and only child into a cold uncaring bassinet.

No...as he contemplated on her precious little features he was adamant that there would be absolutely no one who would take his princess away from him...no one.

He soon came out of his angered thoughts and then he remembered something very important. He slowly began to make his way over to his wife's side and carefully manoeuvred himself and his child in such a way that he would walk into the chair or cause his child start crying and unintentionally awaken her mother.

Jiriaya then leaned forward and placed an affectionate yet slightly possessive peak onto his wife's diamond marked forehead. And before he assumed the chair beside her bed, he murmured some words of gratitude into her left ear.

"Tsunade my love, you have given me everything which I could have possibly ever wished for. You and I are finally man and wife after so many years of waiting and our union has created this beautiful child..."

He soundlessly sat on the wooden chair and he gazed down at his child once more and saw that she was struggling to wake up. And it was almost instinctually that he had brought her up to his chest and began to hum a lullaby.

After a short whole, he felt his tiny daughter move slightly and bury herself into his embrace, and once again she fell into the realms of slumber. And as he continued to hum and hold his newborn baby, he could not help but drift of as well.


	12. New Parents

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

**IMPORTANT! In the previous chapter, I accidently refered to the third hokage as the ****Shodaime****(the first fire shadow) instead of ****Sandaime****(the third fire shadow) and described Jiraiya and Tsunade's baby as having ****grey**** eyes instead of ****brown**** eyes.**

Jiraiya's eyes suddenly shot open and within a few moments he found himself recalling everything which had transpired the day before. His chest felt warm as he remembered just how he and Tsunade had finally taken the leap of faith and declared their status as man and wife to the entire Konoha population. It made him feel incredibly proud that he had at last, after so many years had his feelings of love reciprocated by the very woman who had rejected him so many times before. And in the process of it all, he had stood in front of the crowds and announced to the entire leaf village that he was not just a simple orphan but a prince of a legendary clan.

Once he processed this wondrous event, his mind was flooded by the most magnificent thing which had ever transpired to him. His wife's labour had started off in as quite a tumultuous event but when they had finally arrived into the birthing chamber, then everything had taken place just as he had always imagined. The manner in which Tsunade had nearly cut the blood circulation to his hand and the pain which had evaporated of her face had caused butterflies to swarm within the pits of his stomach. Some may have considered his joy at seeing his wife's pain as being rather sadistic but after having longed for a child of his flesh and blood for such a lengthy amount of time, such pains which accompanied childbirth only made the actual birth of the child that much sweeter.

_My baby..._

Jiraiya's fist clenched as he realised that the creature who he had cradled the night before was no longer in the safety of his arms. This had caused him to jump up from his chair and collide directly with the bassinet which he had assured himself would never hold his child.

His thought process was then interrupted by the sound of very soft breathing coming from deep inside the very same baby bed. He immediately crouched down and bent down to gain a better view, and once he saw her anew, his sentiments of pride had once again resurfaced.

Her blanket from yesterday had been changed to a woolly white one, which suggested to him that it had most likely been one of the hospital staff who had taken his baby from him while he slept and placed her in such a poor quality bed. His immediate reaction would have probably been to snatch her into his arms one more, but he was promptly halted by the peaceful expression upon her face.

_I don't have the heart to disrupt her slumber._

He knew that he was being rather possessive of his daughter, but he wanted to build a relationship of trust with her. Scanning her delicate features his domineering nature had increased his desire to protect her and never risk her viewing him as someone capable of causing her harm. No...He would prove to the world that he could be both a brilliant shinobi as well as an outstanding father.

Jiraiya was suddenly dragged out of his thoughts by the stirring of his wife on the hospital bed. He instantly rushed to her bedside and watched as her large brown eyes opened. His face immediately grew into a wide grin and Tsunade was the first to speak.

"I have never seen you so dedicated to something before"

Instead of permitting her playful taunts to aggravate him, he crouched down once more and leaned forward. He didn't stop to analyse the situation, as he bent over and plunged his lips onto hers.

They remained in such a position for only a mere few moments, until Tsunade also collaborated in their kiss of passion. Feeling her submission, Jiraiya immediately went ahead and moved his tongue to reach hers. He worried that she could bulk against his bold action, but instead her tongue came to meet his. It was a rather messy affair, but such an exchange of saliva indicated to him that she was committed to their vows, as she had finally accepted his amorous advancements towards her without much hesitant.

And then they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a loud gurgling sound. It caused their kiss to break apart, as they quickly turned their attention towards their little bundle of joy that had seemingly awoken from her slumber within the poor quality bassinet. Jiraiya moved around to the other side of the container and Tsunade clambered over to the side of the bed. It was in a simultaneous effort that they received inside the reached inside and gently slipped their arms under their squirming daughter.

Jiraiya quickly lifted his baby over the bassinet and assisted her into her mother's arms. He wanted to make sure that his wife's strength wouldn't falter whilst she would finally hold their little miracle for the very first time.

Once he saw her bringing his daughter to her chest, he immediately found a spot on the side of her bed and he chuckled softly.

"You are strong and beautiful and our daughter has inherited your stunning physique"

At his mere words alone, he watched as for the very first time the mother of his child was finally meeting the tiny life which she had been carrying and nurturing in her womb. He could not help but smile as he saw her shocked expression when she saw the mini red lines starting off from her eyes. And then he heard her exclaim:

"My eyes...she has my brown eyes"

Jiraiya laughed and caught his wife's gleeful orbs.

"Yes...I know...anyone who glances on her face will know automatically that she is our child"

He observed Tsunade as she caressed his child with a free hand. It was an adorable sight to see as his daughter's eyes widen at the same time as his wife's brown eyes became more pronounced. He loved the way how his two girls examined each and acknowledged one another as flesh and blood.

He then found himself arising from his standing and contemplated on the beautiful sight.

_I am relieved that Tsunade has accepted her role as mother._

And soon enough he had stepped out into the hallway.

...

He promptly found himself striding through the upper hallways, down the stairs and soon enough, he had entered the waiting room which was located on the ground floor of Konoha hospital. The room was approximately three metres wide and two metres long, there were many plastic chairs running along the walls, and at it very centre there were two rows of chairs going back to back. And before he could find the people he sought, the large analogue clock chimed twelve times indicating to them that noon had already come.

"Sensei..."

Jiraiya's attention immediately switched to the centre of the room where he saw his blonde spiky haired protégée clad in his glorious white coat. Meanwhile his fiery red headed wife was wearing a navy blue dress and a white jumper underneath whilst holding onto his sleepy godson. He could not help but feel pride growing in his stomach at having realised that he had single handily saved the greatest hokage and his wife from an unnecessary death. It meant that they could carry on the will of fire and raise their son with the same mentality as well.

His momentary contemplation had been halted by none other than Kushina's close proximity and her extremely determined eyes.

"So...lord master Jiraiya..."

He instantly became aware of the slight venom which Kushina had injected into her tone, and he could not help but steal a quick glance from Minato's sheepishly scared grin. It was quite obvious with her voice and her hardened tone combined what exactly she wanted.

"My wife and my child have just awoken..."

With his solemn yet soft words alone, Minato had jumped to his feet and he immediately noticed the eagerness in his eyes to finally be able to meet his daughter.

"Follow me..." he said nonchalantly, yet the one thought that crossed his mind was:

_They'll truly be surprised about how beautiful my princess is..._

...

The image of Tsunade holding the tiny white haired infant had left Minato stunned. He was amazed at how his teacher had managed to keep such an important aspect as having inherited his white hair a secret. As they drew closer to the side of the bed, he became increasingly aware of how loving his sensei's stubborn wife was towards their child. It appeared as if only within a few months his teacher had succeeded in turning things around and show his slug summoning team mate just how much he had grown to love her over their years together.

His smile grew wider as he and his wife and child and kneeled down beside Tsunade and saw that their daughter resembled Jiraiya in every aspect, apart from her big brown eyes.

_Well with a miniature Jiraiya it's only appropriate that my goddaughter has inherited her mother's eyes._

He then turned his attention towards his tranquil sensei.

"May I...?"

He saw Jiraiya glance at his child with a glint of possessiveness within his eyes, but he promptly forgot about it as his teacher responded.

"Be careful"

Minato slowly leaned forward and noticed how the lady Tsunade had automatically began to lift up his goddaughter. The exchange happened quite slowly and before he was about to receive the new born infant. The new mother's strength faltered and yet before he even considered alerting his sensei, he had appeared beside his wife and placed his hands onto Tsunade's arms. It was a simple enough gesture, but as his teacher lifted his tiny child from her arms into his arms, he once again become aware of the domineering nature which Jiraiya had developed for both his daughter and his wife.

_Who ever thought that a fathering toad sage would in turn become a domineering one?_

The moment that he finally held the innocent white hair creature within his arms, he could not help by smile uncontrollably. Almost everything about her entire appearance bore a strong resemblance to his sensei. The little bundle of joy was perfect in every way a new infant could be and she even had though famous red yet tiny lines preparing themselves to cascade down her face much like her father's

_The child is in every way a tribute to her legendary shinobi father...no wonder sensei is so propietorial of her._

He spent a few moments marvel at her delicate features and her calm rested face. He found it so intriguing at how serene the infant was, especially since when Naruto had come into this world, he had jumped at the slightest over average sound.

And then hi contemplation at the miniature creature of perfection had been interrupted by none other than the gurgling of his nearly eight month old son, who had seemingly awoken from his slumber.

He looked up to see his baby son become restless in his wife's arms, as his big blue eyes had sought out none other than his goddaughter. Minato watched in amazement as Naruto lifted up out his arms and made a grabbing gesture, almost indicating to them that he wanted to see the new infant as well.

His eyes caught that of his sensei and he asked a silent question, to which Jiriaya responded.

"Well go on then"

His tone carried hints of curiosity and excitement within it, and Minato heeded his advice by slowly lifting up his godchild into a makeshift sitting up position. He watched as the Sannin's child's brown eyes going wide as she finally noticed the big grin which had crept up on his son's face.

Then suddenly the room was filled with a combined sound of laughter. Minato gaped in amazement at how both his son and his goddaughter had their blue and their brown eyes firmly locked onto one another. His heart began to beat steadily as he became overwhelmed with an extreme sense of pride. And before he could find the right words to explain what exactly had taken place, Tsunade had spoken her first words since they had arrived.

"How absolutely adorable..."

And the Yondaime widened his eyes in a happy surprise, as the blonde aged mother had leaned forward and snatched the white haired baby back into the bosom of her arms.

His face beamed as he saw his sensei place his hands onto lady Tsunade's shoulders and she had in turned hugged the silent infant closer to her being. In his mind it was truly the perfect image of a loving family.

_After so many years of unsuccessful attempts, sensei has finally gained his own little yet truly perfect family._


	13. Going Home

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

The exchange of giggles which had taken place between his newborn daughter and his eight month old godson had made Jiraiya's flutter. It was wonderful to think that he had dreamed about having his own child on the very first day that he had cradled his newborn godson. In his mind it seemed as if this day had been nothing more and nothing less than fate.

Yet as he held onto his wife's shoulders and peered lovingly onto their child, even after such a blissful moment he couldn't help but feel rather guilty. As he observed how Kushina and Naruto had approached Minato, he realised how much younger they were as parents then he and Tsunade were. Comparing his family to theirs, he truly hoped that there would never be a time when his child would come to understand how she had come into the world a lot later then she was supposed to.

On a happier note, he was extremely pleased at how his wife's maternal instincts seemed to be intensifying as the day went past. Whilst he always knew that his position as her father would mean that his decisions would supersede that of both Tsunade and Orochimaru combined. And by the manner in which his partner seemed attached his child, he was convinced that she would stand by him when it came to parenting.

"You and Lady Tsunade have a truly beautiful child...we are proud to be her godparents"

Jiraiya could not help but grin widely as he saw the pure facial expressions from his protégée, his wife and their son. He was convinced that having chosen the fourth hokage to be his daughter's godfather would assure that his way of parenting would not be altered if he should ever be unfortunate to lose his life in battle. However there was a part of him that knew that he wouldn't allow him to wither away from old age or any external force, as he would probably go down unnatural paths, if it meant that he could prolong his life and never leave his pure innocent child without the company of her alpha parent.

"Minato, Kushina...you are the second citizens of Konoha to meet our child"

He immediately noticed his student's head turning towards the window and the words which he muttered next brought him back to the realms of reality.

"...and as expected the shinobi and the residential population have began to gather around to steal a glance as well" the Yondaime murmured.

Before he could physically cringe at such a statement, he saw Tsunade's shoulders tense and he knew that she was also reluctant to face the crowds.

"We all have obligations which we must fulfil"

He then eyed his baby within his wife's arms and observed her clenching hands, he had only seen her cry when she had come from her mother's womb, and he was sure that this time round it could most likely be a hunger cry.

"Sensei..."

Jiraiya then saw his student's sheepish smile and then their goodbyes seemed to be swift and easy, and soon enough the three of them were alone once more.

Then suddenly their momentary silence had been interrupted. They both glanced down at their squirming child, and it was from one moment to the next that he saw his daughter's face scrunch up, her mouth open wide and it let out a loud shrill cry. It was horrifying sound that Jiraiya could not stand but as she continued to bawl, he knew that the time had come for mother and child to bond physically.

Jiraiya immediately kneeled down beside them and he momentarily took their tiny daughter into his arms. He then watched as Tsunade rearranged her night robe, so that one of her breast would become accessible to his child. He felt no sort of sexual desire when he saw her swollen mammary glands, because he knew that this was the healthiest manner in which to feed his newly born child.

Once his wife seemed comfortable, he leaned against the side of the bed and he carefully placed his whimpering and squirming child into her mother's embrace. As she received his child, Jiraiya found him shifting onto the side of the bed and wrapping his rock hard muscled arms around his wife's now lighter body. After all she had gained a great many pounds of weight whilst she has been nurturing his child from deep within her womb.

He slowly held onto Tsunade right hand and helped her to attach their infant white haired miracle onto her nipple, and it was within a mere amount of seconds that they both heard a loud sucking sound.

Both mother and father peered loving down onto their legacy. They both shared a mix of emotions varying from pride, contentment, fear and curiosity of who exactly their daughter would grow into.

As she saw and felt her innocent child sucking on her breast, Tsunade could not help but wonder if this was the life which she had always been fated to live. Her disregard for Jiriaya as a man had promptly been altered over the last few months, and considering how efficiently he had fixed all of the problems which they had encountered, she knew that her initial instinct of Jiraiya's true nature was accurate.

Meanwhile Jiriaya felt his pride from that morning completely engulf his body, as both his child and the mother of his child seemed to be content and secure under his watchful eye. It made his heart skip with joy when he could finally see his little piece of perfection latching onto her mother's breast and gorging on all of the milk. Her determined expression all with everything which had so far occurred with her in the equation had made Jiriaya feel very happy indeed. He was no longer the sleazy old man who would use any sort of demining pick up lines to unsuccessfully woe the other sex, no...He was Prince Monogatari an exemplary shinobi and a kind yet strict patriarch of his new family.

It was at the very moment which his daughter had finally taken one last gulped of her creamy meal, that the three of them heard a series of three knocks on their hospital room door. With such a delicate manner of calling their attention, Jiraiya knew that the caller would most likely be none other than Shizune.

"Come in Shizune" he announced half paying attention to the door and the other was still on his tiny child who was gradually pulling herself away from her mother's breast and letting out a large yet miniature yawn. It was quite obvious by now that his child had had more than enough of her fill, and Jiraiya found himself getting exited for the next stage.

_I wonder if they slipped a diaper on her last night._

Jiriaya was rather sure then they had done so, because of the way in which the blanket had become slippery instead of clinging to her body. And then the door finally opened to reveal a beaming Shizune would carry with a fresh set of Tsunade's clean clothes.

He then watched as his wife tucked her breast away and from the movement of her eyes towards him, he knew that they time had come for him to hold his tiny bundle of joy once more.

He slowly pulled away from his wife's warm body and he kneeled beside the bed. The exchange had transpired quite quickly, but once his now calmed child had been returned to the safety of his arms, he felt as if everything had been restored.

_My baby is exactly where she belongs._

He immediately came away from the bed and permitted his wife's adoptive daughter to take his place and begin the process of dressing up his still fragile wife. If he weren't feeling so comfortable with having his child buried within his arms, he would have probably done the chivalrous thing by helping her himself.

Instead he found himself incredibly engrossed at the mere image and the warmth of his tiny child and from the slight tapping around her lower middle his suspicions about the diaper had been confirmed. Yet soon enough he found himself contemplating on her faultless form once more.

It still made his heart swell in pride as he marvelled at her white puffy hair and the tiny lines which were faint yet present upon her soft skinned face. He loved the way how most of her bodily features had been inherited from him and his ego was also thankful for it, as he was confident that his status as the Monogatari heir would now become unquestionable to both ally and enemy forces combined.

_I have always dreamed of holding a child of my flesh and blood within my arms and now that I have her, I will do every in my power to never let her go._

"Jiriaya...?" he was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by nine other than his blonde haired wife and her apprentice approaching him and his child.

From the look in her deep brown orbs, it was quite obvious what her next words would be.

"Are you ready to face them?"

He found himself glancing toward the door and then gazing anew into his daughter's curious brown eyes and he knew that he had no choice but to introduce his little piece of perfection to the world.

The journey through the hospital had been quite an easy task to complete, however once they crossed the threshold, they were meet by hundreds of inquisitive eyes.

For the trip home, it had been decided that Tsunade was to carry the infant. Jiriaya was slightly annoyed that he couldn't show his power to the populace but he also knew that keeping up certain appearances would be essential if he wanted to rear his child within the village without any unnecessary complications.

From the moment they had exited the hospital, the crowds which had accumulated outside had began to swarm around them like a hive of active bees. It immediately made Jiraiya feel suffocated and placed under a great deal of pressure. All their querying eyes and their judgemental looks had promptly began to make his possessive nature over his infant daughter to reach a whole new level, and he found himself struggling to restrain himself from lashing out at them and transforming their time of bliss into an event of claustrophobia.

_It's amazing how Tsunade hasn't seemed to take notice of their intrusive stares..._

No...His wife was far to absorbed with observing the slight movements of their daughter. Part of him envied her that she was the one holding their bundle of joy rather than him. Yet he knew that if he would have been holding her, he would have most likely made a straight rapid bee line through the crowd and rushes his baby to safety.

Their journey through the village seemed to become even more elongated than usual, as every now and again, more and more of the residents seemed too gathered around them. It was fortunate that his wife was versed in high class manners since she had been the one to explicitly warn him that Konoha's inquisitive nature had to be sated or else it would cause them issues with establishing roots within the village.

And then Jiraiya realised that their mansion was visible within the distance and he let in a deep breath.

"You are doing really well dear husband"

Tsunade's mouth had barely moved when he heard her words of praise. He originally thought that she was simply saying them to give him confidence, but from the knowing glance within her eyes it could only mean one possible thing.

_She's realised that I am the dominate parent...she must have._

Understanding this, Jiraiya felt much better about the multitude of eyes which seemed to follow them everywhere they went. Their home suddenly came into close proximity and a large weight had been lifted of his chest. He may have originally panicked when his child had been placed right in the centre of everyone's attention. However now that he had experienced the ordeal for himself, he was convinced that even though he hadn't received the formal education required for his station, he knew that he would be able to adapt accordingly.

_If I have the love of my family, I can face their judgement. _


	14. Orochimaru's Farewell

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Once he and his family had crossed the gates and shut them tightly behind them, Jiraiya felt as if he could breathe once more. He had chosen his impressive colossal home as a way to show all of those Konoha residents that his womanising days were far behind him and he was indeed committed to the family which he had gained. However as he closed the door behind him, he realised just how much he had taken advantage of his home. It was guarded well and hid them away from any of the peeping eyes, and if he didn't know it any better, his house would most likely become his sanctuary.

He then gazed upon the three women who had entered before him and he could not help but grin widely. There was a quiet yet patient Shizune who in a short span of time had proven herself worthy of being a part of his household. And then there was his wife who was cradling their almost one day old daughter.

It warmed his heart when he considered how such a foolish act of inebriation had allowed him to acquire everything which he had always wanted. Shizune was the ideal assistant for both him and his wife, and he was extremely thankful to her that she had sought him out on the day that she did. It was quite obvious that without her strict intuition, he would not be looking at the image of his blonde haired white cradling his white haired baby.

He may have originally had doubts were being in their forties would have used their relationship to break down, but as the days went by, Jiriaya became more and more confident that Tsunade had come to love her new position in life so much, that she wouldn't leave him unless forced to.

His stomach twisted slightly in slight apprehension to how his wife would handle him continuing with the reigns of control. It was quite obvious that she had began to realise what was happening, but he wondered if she would fully yield or would seek fight against his wishes.

"Should we go and find Orochimaru?"

He suddenly found himself being dragged out of his partial daydream and blinking and the three females who had their eyes on him. It made his heart swell in pride at how obedient they were being. He was convinced that if his power hadn't been recognised then they would have most likely left him, but instead they were awaiting his direction.

_It feels so right that I am truly the patriarch of my clan._

He nodded and allowed the three of them to go before him and promptly enough he followed behind. Neither one of the women made a sound, as the only thing which disrupted the silence was the occasional whimpering noises from his half a day old infant daughter.

They quickly made their way through the corridor and soon they were ascended the stairs to the second floor. And as they reached the room which had been allocated to their daughter, Jiriaya found himself opening the door and having his heart sink. With all the excitement and miraculous things which had taken place over the past few months, he and Tsunade had forgotten to arrange the nursery.

Upon opening the door the three adults were met with the most extraordinary sight. The large chamber like room which up to a few days ago had been bare and empty had been furnished extravagantly for none other than a new born infant.

His daughter's regal crib had been placed and a large softy and fluffy carpet which were both located centrally in the space. Directly opposite them the large window was complemented by its own set of red velvet curtains, which when opened permitted the room to become completely illuminated by the rays of sunlight which beamed through. To their left hand side, pushed against the wall, there was a fully equipped mahogany made changing table lined in a warm cream and easily cleanable changing mat. Equally to their right there was the large chest of toys which they had previously picked out. In its parallel there was a majestic portrait in which he and Orochimaru had their arms wrapped around a heavily pregnant Tsunade. Meanwhile on the other side of the window the large wardrobe which had previously been empty had been filled to the brim with multiple exquisite clothes which Jiriaya had splashed out on. Even the en suite to the right hand side had been equipped with all the necessary things to care for a newly born child.

"How...? What...? Where...?" Tsunade managed to stutter. Yet it did not take long for the two Sannin to become increasingly aware of the massive grin which had formed across the face of one Shizune. Her entire face had lit up and it was quite obvious that she knew something which they did not.

"You...you did this..." Jiraiya found that he was overwhelmed at such a grand surprise that his usual stoic tone faltered ever so slightly.

Both him and his wife gazed upon her in curiosity as their young apprentice shook her head.

"I was not I but the Lord Orochimaru...he was determined to organise the nursery before his departure from the village. He said that it was the least that he could do for having to leave you so abruptly"

Jiraiya found himself scanning every nook and cranny of the cosy baby room and everything from the layout to the complementary rugs which covered the floor screamed of his teammate's artistic influence.

"I think it truly exemplifies the meaning of family..." And then he noticed his wife eyeing his daughter and then crib, to finally look towards him.

"...yet it's a shame that our little princess wouldn't be spending much time in her first year"

Jiraiya momentarily frowned when he first heard his wife's words but soon enough he understood that she had indirectly stated how their baby would be by their side almost all day and night.

Both he and his wife's attention laid themselves on their sleepy white haired baby. It was nearing the end of the afternoon, and it was obvious that she was beginning to become drowsy. A part of Jiraiya mentally skipped in joy as he realised that the nightly feeding, meant that they would finally learn what it was like to be parents to a newborn infant. As her first night of life didn't exactly count as the medical staff had taken care of her needs whilst he and Tsunade had slept.

"There's a letter in the crib"

Jiraiya blinked twice and realised that it was Shizune who had noticed the foreign object. He immediately came forward, leaned over the side of his daughter's bed and picked up the elegant parchment. And from the fancy graphology inside it was clear that it was Orochimaru who had penned the lengthy account.

"Husband...?"

His attention then reverted back to Tsunade whose face was enough to indicate to him that she desired to know its content.

"Alright...then..."

"Dearest Jiraiya and family,

I must commence by giving you the upmost congratulations for the birth of a healthy beautiful baby girl. Even though Tsunade's labour may have commenced in a fairly tumultuous manner, I am pleased to know that the child has been born with an incredible likeness to Jiraiya. It is no wonder that the entire Konoha population soon followed after you, once they realised that dearest Tsunade had gone into labour. Yet I hear that your collaboration with the Yondaime hokage permitted an easier trek back to the house, even when the crowds were so persistent in ruining such a blissful time as the birth of the Sannin heir.

Anyhow it appears as if I'm straying and reading this means that I am no longer with you. I am afraid that promptly after Tsunade when into labour I received a message from one of my contacts which forced me to leave the village quite quickly. This is because when I originally came to the hidden leaf, I wasn't fully informed one Tsunade's condition and now that the two of you are married, I am sure that my assistance will not be required as much in the child's first years of life.

I am one hundred percent convince that you and Tsunade will prove to be the ideal parents. Both of you have an extensive experience of life and I know that now as you have finally learnt that you two are better together then you are apart, I am sure that you will be able to protect your little bundle of joy. Due to my status as the child's uncle, I have created a monetary savings account in which I have deposited a little over five million yen for future uses. I hope that my station as Sannin will fortify the respect which she will surely gain.

I may no longer be present but as you have both bound yourself in matrimony, I am sure that as you step towards the future, you will found a formidable clan.

I will see you promptly, I am sure.

Orochimaru

P.S. Take a look below the bed covers of the infant's crib.

It was as Jiraiya rolled up the scroll that he noticed how both his wife and Shizune began to approach the crib, and before Tsunade could bend over to lift up the covers. He immediately rushed forward and lifted up the covers, and soon enough he had reached for a soft velvet teddy bear.

As he approached his wife, daughter and apprentice he brought the bear into the vision of his suddenly alert daughter.

Orochimaru's gift was a velvet crafted teddy bear coloured glorious gold. It had long arms and legs which Jiraiya was sure would be perfect for his baby to cuddle when she crossed into her toddlerhood. It had black bean eyes and there was delicate black stitching which he knew made up its mouth. And on its left ear there was pink silk bow which made it quite obvious that the teddy bear was none other than a she.

"It's truly adorable" he heard Shizune exclaim.

The next few moments transpired quite quickly as he saw his tiny infant daughter shuffled slightly in her mother's arms and directed her attention to Orochimaru's gift. A warm grin crept across as he saw her eyes focusing and widening on the stuffed bear. His entire face lit up as he saw her lifting up one of her miniature arms and by the looks of it, she wanted to reach for the soft companion.

He immediately brought it closer to her hand and once the two of them made contact, her whole face lit up and a wide grin appeared on her face. Yet that was not enough, as she managed to move her hand to meet the other one and she moved her fingers in anticipation. It was quite obvious that she wanted the bear, and Jiraiya slowly buried the soft creature onto her chest.

All three of them marvelled as his tiny lookalike baby slowly wrapped her arms around the teddy bear, and within the consecutive moments her eyelids had shut tightly. And Jiraiya was pleased that his child had drifted off to sleep with none other than a small smile on her face.

"She's not even a day old and she's partially mobile..." Tsunade's tone didn't disguise any of her astonishment at learning just how advanced his little creature of perfection was.

Many responses had gone through his head, but he knew that there was only one which would gain him the right favours.

"Well our little miracle is a child of two of the legendary Sannin; her specialness is something which is to be expected"

Both his wife and Shizune smiled warmly and he felt his heart swell in pride. And it was at that moment he lifted his hands to receive his slumbering child, and once his wife had safely placed her within his arms, he was certain of one thing...

_After all, after so many years of mere fantasies everything has come to pass, and I will make sure that nothing goes wrong._


	15. Their Blessing

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience.**

Awakening from her slumber had proven to be a truly wonderful affair. Her eyes fluttered open, and from her position of lying on her side, she was met with an endearing sight! Her white haired husband was peaceful lying on his left hand side and buried within his muscular arms lay slumbering their little white haired daughter. She only had to blink a few times to see just how their tiny infant had subconsciously crawled into her father's arms, and if she would have let herself to succumb to jealousy, then she would have felt a ping in her heart at how willingly their baby was becoming infatuated with her father.

It had been obvious from their very first confrontation regarding the child, that he would become the favourite parent. He had quite literally debilitated her and kept her by his side whilst the cute infant had grown and grown inside her. She may have initially resented him for halting her chance to get rid of the creature which she had acquired, but it had been due to their forced union that she had managed to witness his true persona. And, even if he slightly feared her reaction to it, it was not only his fathering instinct that she had fallen in love but his domineering one as well.

As she watched the two of her loved ones sleeping, her attention fell onto none other the silent yet twitching child. It did not take her long to realise that the bed covers had deliberately pulled down, so that she wouldn't accidently suffocate whilst sleeping.

_It's amazing how even in his sleep, my dear husband is so conscious of our baby and her safety!_

Having fully recovered from giving birth, she found herself marvelling at the beautiful creature which she had successfully managed to bring into the world.

Yet she also began to consider Orochimaru's influence. He may have played down his importance in the birth of the Sannin heir but as she thought about it, it was quite obvious that he had acted as mediator between the two of them. Even throughout their childhood, with her quick temper and Jiraiya's old lucid behaviour, it had been her snake love teammate who had always succeeded in dragging the two of them together to save the day. And from the obvious hints which were all in his note of farewell, it seemed as if he had all the time known that she and their white haired friend would end up committing themselves to one another.

Jiraiya and her union may have been expected but the Konoha population's reaction had been quite shocking. Sure they had played the obedient audience when they had exchanged their vows, but the revelation of her husband's heritage had brought out a horrifying uproar. Even thinking about it made her skin crawl, as countless had so easily risen up and ridiculed everything which she, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had done for them. However the last thought which came into her head before drifting of once more was the pride she had felt when her husband had finally declared himself as prince.

The next time she awoke and found herself looking at an empty spot where her husband had previously lain sleeping with their child. Having realised this, she immediately turned onto her left hand side and saw the bed side table clock read eleven o'clock. Such a realisation caused her to spring out from the bedcovers, and reach for her dressing gown which had been placed into her wardrobe. It was obvious that once she left her martial room, she would be confronted by the cool temperature of the house.

She slowly made her way across the first floor and allowed her ears to be her guide. As she came closer to the nursery, she heard Jiraiya's soft caressing voice and the familiar sound of a whimpering infant. And it was only a few moments later, she saw the wide open door, and she crossed the threshold into their daughter's nursery.

The vision she met was truly a cute one!

Her white haired one day old baby had been laid onto the surface of the changing table and her father was huddled over her. She witnessed at how intent her daughter's eyes were as Jiraiya not only managed to conquer the fear of most new fathers; changing a stinky diaper but he was also able to play with her all at the same time. And to top it off, he also succeeded in making her feel absolutely comfortable for him to do so. As she heard a variety of 'who's daddy's little princess?' and saw the smile on her face becoming larger and larger.

He started by removing her soft cream baby suit, and she watched silently as she squirmed ever so slightly when he had momentarily touched her hands. And promptly enough he had her down to stinking diaper.

_She's very protective of her hands...isn't she?_

A part of her knew that if she had tried to touch her hands, then her daughter's reaction wouldn't have been as calm as she had been with her father.

And thus she remained in the doorway and observed how Jiraiya swiftly undid her nappy, chucked it into the nearby bin and placed a clean towel underneath her bottom. She was impressed at how quickly he reached into the shelves below and began to clean and sanitise every part of the infant's nappy area and when onto freshened up the rest of her body. She was sure that not even she could do the diaper change as efficiently as he was doing it.

He promptly took out a fresh diaper from a shelf below. He managed to attach the nappy quite rapidly, and thus it meant that the infant didn't fuss so much at having her peace disrupted.

_It's amazing how Jiraiya has not only revealed himself to be perfect husband material but he's also by the looks of it, the ideal father._

A large smile appeared on her face as he reached for the bowl of soapy water which he had previously prepared, and thoroughly rinsed his hands. Such an action made her curious to how concerned he was about familiarising her to his touch, and in doing so he was slowly gaining her trust for life.

And after spending so time caressing her feet and laying affectionate butterfly kisses, which earned him a series of soft giggles coming from their little creature of perfection. He slowly placed his hand onto her stomach and he instantly whipped his head and hair around to come eye to eye with none other than her! His eyes depicted that he had known that she had been there all along...

"Good morning dear wife"

His kind smile made her insides warm up as his entire face lit in none other than love. And having their daughter safely nestled between his large muscular hands, only made the adoration in his eyes seem that much truer.

It was all done quite swiftly that he turned her back towards her, and gently slipped his hands underneath her squirming body. Yet before he could bring her to his chest, Tsunade heard her cry out and before she realised that it was the teddy bear that she was pining over, in one quick movement, Jiraiya had reached for the bear and placed it into her arms. And then within a mere second, both her child and her father were by her side.

Tsunade's heart flutter as both her husband and her child were eyeing her and waiting silently for her next words. It made her grin widely to witness just how similar the two of them were to each other. And it was almost instinctually that she leaned forward and gave Jiraiya an affectionate peak on the forehead.

"Good morning love"

Once she pulled away, she found herself just like her husband gazing down on the gleeful face of their infant daughter. Both parents chuckled as their little white haired miracle ran her hands along the teddy bear and in doing so; they saw her becoming more confident in her movements.

The next few minutes transpired quite quickly. Tsunade took their squirming child into her arms, and Jiraiya had headed towards the changing table and he swiftly took the bowl to the bathroom and emptied the water. Then he came back to changing table and he quickly cleared everything into the nearby bin.

And after laying down a clean sheet, he motioned to her to bring over the little bundle. It was promptly enough that she came forward and together they lay their tiny child onto the soft cloth.

Tsunade headed towards the wardrobe and took out a cream long silk christening gown. She brought it to the table, and she and her husband worked together to slip the gown over her head. It was Jiraiya who held her up whilst Tsunade straightened out the overflowing dress.

And once they had finished they knew that it wouldn't be long until they would officially name their child and publically declare Minato and his wife Kushina as her godparents.

...

Gathered around the glistening stone white waterfall deep within the Senju shrine, Jiraiya held the active bundle of joy as he, his wife, Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Sarutobi and the elders. Each one of them was clad in their festive regalia, and they were infatuated with none other than the bubbly tiny white haired female. And all of them were intrigued to finally learn what the child's name would be, or more importantly the name which Jiraiya had chosen.

"We have gathered here today to give our blessings to the newly born heir of the Monogatari and the Senju clans..."

It was Sarutobi who had been chosen to initiate the christening ceremony because of his famed title of not only the Sandaime hokage but all 'The Professor'.

"Born of the union between two of the legendary Sannin...a young healthy child has been brought here today to be blessed by those of superior ranking and by our forefather the Shodaime hokage..."

By his mere words alone, they all gazed towards the large portrait which was hung on the wall in parallel to the waterfall, and it was none other than the Lord Hashirama Senju.

Jiraiya was the first one who returned his attention back to his whimpering child. Her eyes were wide and pained, and he knew that she was upset that she wasn't allowed to cradle her teddy. His heart sank when he saw the sadness in her eyes; he promised himself that after such an event, he would do everything in his power to always make sure that she bore a true smile on her face.

"I Hizuren Sarutobi pray to Kami that the child will never suffer from any ailment"

Danzo, who had remained in the background, came forward and spoke:

"I Danzo Shimaru; wish for the child to be blessed with the gift of intellect" his aged face crinkled in a faint grin, and even though he was reluctant to approach the parents, the depths of his war experienced eyes lit up in warmth when gazing upon the child.

Homura Mitokado dressed in white and grey assemble came forward and gave his blessing:

"I Homura Mitokado; wish for the child to be blessed with Senju traits" Even though obscure in meaning, it was obvious that he was implying of the possibility for the child to have inherited the illustrious techniques of either the Shodaime or the Nidaime.

Koharu Utatane was the last to come forward:

"I Koharu Utatane hope for the child to be blessed with the Monogatari power" All of those deemed as the elders of Konoha council had given blessings which was appropriate for the heir of the Sannin. And once Koharu returned to her position, Sarutobi had reassumed the ceremony.

"Now we must proceed onto the next stage..." he turned his attention towards Jiraiya and then Minato, and urged the two of them to come forward.

"Yondaime hokage, you have been chosen as the child's godfather, and therefore you must be the one to cleanse the child's forehead and establish the bond"

Both sensei and student came forward, and whilst Jiraiya held her over the water, Minato gently scooped up some water and waited for Sarutobi to speak once more.

"With this gesture do you Minato Nimikazae, Yondaime Hokage promise to guide the child in the teachings of her alpha parents?"

It was only Jiraiya who could see his student's fully formed smile. And then the blonde hokage gently spread the water onto her forehead and witnessed as the child at that moment chose to shift out of her current position. It was a rapid reaction as Minato instinctually moved his hands forward to stop her falling into the pool.

The Yondaime then made his proclamation:

"I Minato Nimikazae promise to enforce Jiraiya sensei's parental direction over the child"

They then returned to their places and Sarutobi spoke the determining words of the entire ceremony.

"...and so on this day we have officially welcomed the Monogatari-Senju heir into the world, and her name will from this day forth be known as..."

At that moment everyone's eyes fell onto Jiraiya, who gazed into the curious eyes of his daughter and he was certain that her chosen name would suit her very well, and he murmured lovingly:

"Sayo Meiko Monogatari-Senju"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all of you who have read my story up to now, it really makes me feel as if my storytelling skills are effective. I also wish to give my up most thanks to all those people who have favourited and followed my story so far, they really have been giving me the motivation to continue. And on a last note, I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)**


	16. Parental Duty

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. I borrow them for the entertainment and the amusement of my audience. However Sayo Meiko Monogatari-Senju belongs to me.**

**A big thanks to "Littlevbigdreams" for your kind words which have warmed my heart and given me the pleasure and the excitement to carry on!**

The first three months of Sayo's life had proven to far more peaceful then her first days had been. Both she and her parents had remained within the safe walls of their mansion house, a place where the judgemental eyes, which had originally brought out Jiraiya's possessive streak, could not penetrate. Instead the new parents found themselves faced with their duties of providing and loving their miracle child. Neither one of them groaned when their daughter would cry for them during the night to be fed, nor did they ever leave her feeling uncomfortable from her diaper. And they relished in the happy moments such as when bath time came round.

It was as expected that the relationship between Jiraiya and Tsunade had grown into something unbreakable. Their initial amorous feelings had been mixed with lust and familiarity but with the birth of their daughter and their marriage they had managed to found a solid bond which would never fail. Combined with how many years they had fought by each other's side, the two of them were now entering a stage in their marriage where they were able to sense each another's thoughts, resolve each other's doubts...alas they had proven that they were something more than man and wife: they were soul mates.

However they both knew that the main reason why they had transcended all their original insecurities about each other was because of the child which they had produced together. Jiraiya had named her Sayo which had been in honour of the fact that she had been an infant who had come into the world well into the hours of the evening. Whilst Tsunade had been the one to jump for joy for her husband accepting her name suggestion of Meiko, as she felt that a child born of their legacy was one whose prosperity would be far greater than other heirs of the shinobi clans...

The night had just about begun to draw its curtains when a shrill high pitched cry could be heard extremely faintly across the place known as Konoha. Every single shop was bolted shut; all the local lights had long since been left to rest and every other resident of the hidden leaf village were situated right under their covers and dreaming about their ideal world. This was fortunate instead, as any leaf ninja, if had they would have desired to do so, could have been able to locate the source of the sob right to residence of two of the legendary Sannin. After all their little Sayo was awake...and she was most definitely famished.

Jiraiya, her father, had been the first one to stir from his slumber and when opening his eyes he instantly brought his whimpering child close to his chest. He slowly cradled her in his protective arms, and soon enough his wife also awoke. Even though tired, he was still able to make out the bliss of the so called honeymoon period of having a child, upon her face, as she gradually pulled herself up to lean against the backboard of the bed.

"Good morning dear wife" he spoke softly hoping not to startle their child.

Tsunade smiled warmly and as she looked at their squirming child, Jiraiya could see nothing more and nothing less than motherly love for their bundle of joy. It warmed his heart to witness how the love of his life was finally showing her motherly side. He adored the way she had managed to become the wife he had always imagined. And as his teammate converted life mate had eased into her role, he relished in their new found relationship as he as confident that they were soul mates.

He slowly lifted up his child and carefully placed her into the awaiting arms of her mother. And it was in the faint light of day outside which allowed Jiraiya to recognise that his child's crying had momentarily ceased and instead she had set out hungrily the breast of her mother.

He then quickly set about moving to the other side of their bed, and opening the drawer of the bed side table. From it he removed a warm wholly white blanket and a fresh towel, two items which he had prepared before originally going to sleep.

It was within only a few moments that he returned to his wife and child's side and assisted Tsunade in wrapping the blanket firmly around the tiny body of their child. Jiriaya was very aware of the fact that unlike him and Tsunade, Sayo could not yet regulate her temperature accordingly and he wanted to prevent any chances of her falling ill.

He then momentarily took the now full on crying infant back into his arms, and watched as his wife carefully removed her breast from her nightgown. The sight still made his heart feel with pride as his fantasies of fatherhood were still playing out exactly as he had envisioned.

Tsunade then caught his eyes and he carefully passed her to her mother. Yet it was through a collaborative effort that the two parents assisted their child in latching onto the nipple and holding her there. After all, through their accumulating experiences as caregivers they had learnt that their child was prone to altering her position without any sort of warning.

As Jiriaya and Tsunade hands intertwined, they both found themselves peering onto their infant who was vigorously sucking at her source of nourishment. The event was becoming more and more normal for the two, but Jiriaya was sure that he would never cease to be amazed at the things his child did.

Some may have considered him to be obsessing over insignificant details of his child's life. However after spending so many years attempting to quell his feelings of hopelessness at never having his ultimate dream coming true, it was these moments that permitted him to be sure that everything which had taken place over the last few months would not suddenly slip out of his grasp. Because as he contemplated on the sentiments of insecurity which had lead him to adopting a perverted nature, he realised that his desire to have a family with Tsunade, most likely stemmed from the abandonment which he had suffered at the hands of his own biological clan.

Jiraiya suddenly found himself being dragged out of his deep thought cycle as he found his attention focusing them on his white haired slice of perfection once more. He smiled warmly as he saw the determination on her brow, and his heart swelled in pride as he realised that with every passing day, his daughter was being to resemble him more and more. And then he watched as she pulled away from her mother's breast and soon after his wife looked up and caught his glance. They only needed a few moments to exchange their thoughts with one another, before he knew what he was required to do next.

His eyes moved themselves to his lap and swiftly enough, he picked up the clean white towel and draped it over his right shoulder. His wife may have completed his duty of feeding his child, but as he was resolved on participating in every minor detail of his child's life, this was not an activity which he would pass up easily. He then turned his attention towards his daughter and grinned as his wife slowly tucked away her boob, and placed his now fussing child into the customary cradling position. Sayo's whimpering in Jiraiya's mind could only mean one thing; his parental duty would be completed quickly.

Tsunade slowly leaned forward and brought the squirming bundle of life into his arms. Jiraiya immediately recognised his daughter's discomfort and a part of him wondered whether or not this would be an easy feeding or one where she would allow them to rest. So he gently placed her wriggling body onto his shoulder and he slowly began to rub her back with a loving nature. He continued to rub her back and occasionally he utilised his other hand to caress her feet, as he had long since learnt to leave her hands alone. And it was roughly five minutes later then she felt her body tense and as expected a warm liquid like substance had appeared on the towel.

He slowly took her of his shoulder and crossed his legs, and placed her onto it. Soon after he removed the soiled towel, and rapidly reached inside the bedside draw anew and took out one of the baby wipes packet. He then eyed the laundry basket on the end of the room and swiftly chucked the towel into it. And before she could even contemplate on fidgeting out of his lap, he briskly took out one wipe after another and cleaned every part of her face and mouth. And by her twitching hands, he could tell that she would most likely not nod back to sleep as easily as he would have hoped.

It did not take long for the two parents to try and place their child onto the bed once more, but before they could adjust the blankets, Sayo had begun to wriggle and her whimpering had converted into full of bawling. And Jiraiya then knew that going back to sleep would not be an option, at least not for him...

He then turned towards his wife and spoke his commanding words:

"It's alright, go back to sleep...I'll take care of our little princess..."

Tsunade simply nodded and Jiraiya slowly brought his wailing child into his arms. Promptly enough, the two of them had exited the warmth of the bed, and with not even the slightest sound, Jiraiya had began his route down the stairs...

...

Jiraiya had chosen to go barefoot for two particular reasons. Firstly he wanted to make sure that he didn't accidently wake Shizune from her nightly slumber. After all she had proven to him that she was an important member of their family and she was determined to assist him and her mistress in the little things like cooking and housekeeping. Secondly his rapid movements had caused his restless infant to cease her restless weeping and instead become infatuated by their journey through the house. Because as he had quickly learnt, that much like him, she too was intrigued by the more subtle details of her surroundings.

It was swiftly that the two of them found themselves entering into the living room and approaching the two sliding glass doors. With one hand he held his now calmed child against his chest and before opening the door to exit into the back garden, that he slipped his feet into some sandals. And once he was out he immediately sensed the alteration in his child's chakra and he was certain that this was what she had wanted all along. He continued his trajectory through the two thirds of an acre which accompanied his home and soon enough he had reached his final destination.

He found himself assuming a position on the far end of the plot on the double wooden bench and momentarily relished in the fact that his new sanctuary was hidden behind a ten metre high wall, a feature which subsequently marked out the land which belonged to him. It was perfect for him to conceal the inner workings of his house, and still feel as if he were not tied down the whims of the younger shinobi body of the hidden leaf.

His thought process was suddenly interrupted by the loud happy gurgle of his three month old baby, and he lifted his head and smile broadly when he saw exactly when his daughter was so excited about.

The marble white water fountain sported three circular basins. Its foundation was approximately five metres in width and half a metre in depth. The middle basin, floating about a metre away from the base, contained a ripple like effect around its rim and was two metres in width. Whilst the top based shared the same effect as the middle basin, it was half a metre in width from both sides of the centre. There was a small module of a fierce dragon with its wings ready for flight, a symbol of his ancestors, and on its back there was a tap from which a steady flow of water escaped and cascaded down the many platforms of the magnificent work of art.

An extremely wide smile had formed on his face when he remembered how exactly the instalment of such a paraphernalia had come to pass. His teacher, the previous hokage in power, had been the one to gift such a classy and grand ornament at his pleasure of the marriage between him and his wife. At first he wondered why his sensei had chosen such an impractical present, but when Sayo, his ever curious child had seen it for the first time, she had spent a solid hour giggling her head off. Now it seemed that at times it was the only way in which he could pacify his growing child, and watch how attached she had become to a thing of beauty.

He soon found himself returning to the present time and became aware of the regularised breathing of his beautiful child. He slowly lay her down and brought her into a cradling position, and fought the urge to laugh, as he saw how her eyelids had shut and she had delved into the world of slumber once more. He loved to see her peaceful facial expression and the manner in which she had so comfortably fallen asleep in his arms. For so many years his life had felt so utterly incomplete, and now that he held this precious life within his arms he was sure of absolutely one thing...

_My child is truly a miracle to behold! As she grows and experiences the world around her, it brings me joy and a new vigour to plough forward in this dangerous world. Since she is my light, she is my legacy...I am sure that as the years pass by, she and I will become truly inseparable..._

**Thank you to all of you who have read this chapter. Perhaps if you could, take a moment to drop a comment or two. :)**


	17. One Child and Two Soul Mates

******I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

**Thank you 'xxxTasha101xxx' for showing me that my story is indeed appreciated!**

Tsunade did not know whether it was the blaring sun or the peaceful life which Kami had seemingly bless them with, which made Jiraiya and Sayo, clad in a cream baby suit, sitting on the carpeted floor of the living room appear so natural. It warmed all of her insides to see such a loving sight, as she knew that she belonged to the two beautiful white haired creatures who now dominated her life. In fact as their daughter had just come into her sixth month of life, she wondered why she had ever been so determined to ruin her chances of having a secure family life, such as the one which her grandfather had provided for her all those years ago.

Her eyes soon fell onto none other than her husband Jiraiya. A faint smile formed on her face as she remembered back to the time when they had first come together as their genin group and introduced themselves. At the time, especially as they were ten year olds, she had been extremely riled up at how blatantly he had attempted to flirt his way into her good graces. Yet now that she thought about it, she had probably been a little too harsh on her team mate converted soul mate. After all from what she now knew about the abandonment he suffered as a child, she ought to have been more understanding.

As she considered their first official meeting, her heart became heavy with guilt as she recalled just how mean she had been to Jiraiya when she had stated how she would have rather dated Orochimaru. As a child she had ridiculed him for trying so hard to impress her, but as she considered it further, he was already lonely enough as it was and she should have known better than to ostracise him for his obvious lack of manners. Yet as she watched their white haired child, she now understood that she should have been more thoughtful...more caring.

She suddenly found her eyes on her husband anew and promptly enough her full attention had fallen onto the physical appearance of her past prime husband. Sure she had spent some time wishing that she had seen his potential to be her life mate sooner, especially since she realised that her attraction to him had most likely solidified round about the time that she and her two male team mates had set about fighting for the hidden leaf during the second shinobi war.

A slight blush crept across her brow as she remembered just how handsome he had been in all his padded ninja gear and headband. The more time she spent with her husband, the more the memories of the past became clear within her mind. She was astounded at how she had been so selfish as to forget all the fond times which she had shared with her Sannin team mates. As her eyes rested themselves upon her husband, all the wonderful things which they had achieved together had made her come to only one conclusion:

_I have been such a fool; I always just assumed the worst of Jiraiya. Yet now as I allow the memories to return, it is obvious that he is the true genius in our group._

Jiraiya absolutely adored the sight in front of him. Six months had passed since the birth of baby; he had first hand witnessed the many first of his little princess. And as he sat watching her, he marvelled at just how confidently Sayo had go from needing his assistance to sit up, at the start of the week, and now just how easily she was able to do it by herself. She and her beloved teddy were within reaching distance to him, he did not dare to touch her. After all from the infatuation she had developed for her hands, he knew better then to get to reach forward too hastily as he knew just how possessive she had become of her hands.

However he soon became distracted by Tsunade's hawk like eyes. It was obvious that she had been observing him for quite some time now and from the distance which were present in the depths of her eyes, she was probably reminiscing about their past together. And by knowing this alone, he could not help but think back to the time when he, Tsunade and Orochimaru had entered into the ninja academy for the first time.

On such a faithful day all those years ago, it had been Sarutobi sensei, his official guardian, who had personally made sure to deliver him into the hands of the teaching staff at the academy. A mischievous smile crept across his face as he remembered just how rambunctious he had been, but as his eyes focused onto his child, he knew that once he would let her into the outside world he would have to work hard to train her in the art of being a princess and suppress any of the adventure seeking traits he may have passed down to her. Especially since Sayo was the proclaimed heir of the legendary Sannin.

As he continued to observe his relaxed wife, he could not help but recall the fateful time when the two of them along with the snake lover team mate had succeeded in acquiring the title of Sannin. His heart swelled with satisfaction as a realised that even though Tsunade had rejected him for so many years, it had prompted him to train extra hard. Although when he thought about his Monogatari heritage, he was mostly plagued with hurt, he was confident that because of his special bloodline it gave him to right to take everything which he had always wanted.

When they had become the Sannin, Jiraiya was sure that it was from his increased efficiency in his Sage powers which had given him the unofficial title of being the leader of such a group. He may not have been born with the outstanding intellect of Orochimaru or the meticulous upbringing of Tsunade, but as he contemplated over everything which had transpired across his life, he was sure that the raw power which he had inherited was what had allowed him to come so far.

But as his attention returned to his tiny looking sixth month old daughter, he could not help but become overwhelmed by a strong urge to protect his child:

_I know I am being selfish by even thinking this...but I really hope that she hasn't inherited all of my powers, as I am sure that there would be some individuals within the walls of this very village who would seek to steal my child from me and exploit her power only to hurt me._

After spending a lengthy amount of time reminiscing about the past, Tsunade's attention quickly fell onto her fidgety yet silent daughter. Much like her, it appeared as if Jiraiya had too, become infatuated by their tiny miracle of joy. Sayo, their infant evening child, was the main reason why she and Jiraiya had become inseparable. And she did not even mind one bit about how possessive he had become of her and how determined he was to prove himself as the alpha parent.

_It's no wonder he's acting like the big dog, after all he was the one who dared to quite literally tie me to the bed..._

Her attention momentarily shifted to Jiraiya and a worried thought crossed her mind.

_I hope that I never get on Jiraiya's bad side again...or else he may do something drastic!_

However before she could wallow further in the fear of something breaking up their family unit, she suddenly witnessed a magnificent sight indeed.

It was very slowly that she watched as Sayo placed her miniature hands forward and pulled her buckled legs in. Tsunade's heart skipped with joy as she saw her daughter placing her palms onto the floor, and gradually she pushed her forward with her bind legs. A proud smile crept across her face, as she witnessed how her little Sayo had so easily placed her weight onto her hands and then balanced herself on both her hands and on her legs. This would most likely be another first.

Tsunade's eyes grew wide as she saw Sayo becoming comforting and slowly lifting her head up, and it was not before long that the two of them were gazing deep into each other's eyes. With their two brown eyes meeting, a sudden flash of an older white haired girl had flashed within the forefront of her mind. This female had shoulder length spiky white hair and beautiful brown eyes. Her soft face was reminiscent of hers and Jiraiya's and the red lines on her face reached down to her cheeks.

She blinked again and she let out a shocked gasp of surprise. Sayo had not only succeeded in getting onto her hands and knees, but it was ever so slowly that she had begun to shuffle forward. Her heart swelled in adoration as she realised how her six months year old baby was slowly crawling along the floor without even the slightest hitch. Her heart began to pound thoroughly as she realised that her and her husband's miracle was gradually making her way towards her. And it was almost instinctually that she leaned forward and reached her arms out in anticipation.

If Tsunade was sure of one thing...that she would never give up the opportunity to shower their baby in love.

Jiraiya was sure that if any one of the Konoha shinobi populace was aware of his fear, they would most likely view him as being incapable of caring for his child. However after seeing firsthand what had been done to Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha for being prodigies, he was scared that the villagers would seek to push his daughter into the world of the ninja and end up putting his baby's life in danger.

He suddenly found himself blinking once and then twice until he realised that the spot where his precious baby was playing with her hands was empty. His entire body was gripped in terror as he worried if his tiny baby had wandered of somewhere where unsuspecting villagers could disrupt their peace. Once he regained his sense of reason, he began to scan every nook and cranny of the room and it did not take long for him to locate her once more, however what he saw had caused him to become partially stunned by shock.

Sayo, his reason for living, was making a direct trajectory towards none other than her mother. Having just spent some time agonizing over the chance of his daughter becoming a prodigy, the confidence in her crawling alone served as the ultimate confirmation. Sure he adored the fact that all of her first were so far taking place with the sanctuary walls he called his home, but a part of him simply could not help but shake the feeling that once the villagers would be introduced to their daughter, then they would eager push her to become the next Sannin or reject her for not coming up to the required standards.

He found himself losing the fit to not gap his mouth wide open in utter surprise. After all his child had gone from twitching her hands to fully fledged crawling in a mere six months. His resolve to be at the forefront of all of her first experiences of life, had set of his domineering nature in overdrive. And as his daughter continued to grow, the desire for her to love him as much as he cared for her became even potent.

His eyes followed his moving child and his heart began to pound as he saw her drawing closer and closer to her mother. And it was not before long that his heart swelled in none other than pure and utter jealousy, as he saw Sayo coming up to her mother's leg and wrapping her arms around her thigh.

After a few moments he clenched his fists, as he saw Tsunade leaning forward to offer her arms and his little white haired princess had eagerly clambered into her arms. His hand fell to the floor and he gripped the carpet, as he saw how Sayo buried her head into her mother's bosom...he could not help but become overwhelmed...

He was jealous...no doubt...as he was desperate for his daughter's love no matter what!

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	18. Stepping Towards Daddy

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

Shizune had never thought that her place would end up being in the kitchen, but over the last year or so, she had become convinced that to be an accepted member of the Monogatari-Senju clan she had to work extra hard to prove her usefulness. The double sized fridge had been stuffed with many fresh fruits and vegetable, and multiple prepared foods which she had purposefully made. Whilst the freezer contained ice creams and other variables which the master and the mistress tended to gorge on especially when they flirted with each other. She was determined to make sure that her mistress and new master always had a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. She had assumed the role of secondary housewife to Tsunade just as she had become the second most skilled medical core ninja in the whole of Konoha.

Huddled over the large cooking pots on the cooker, Shizune felt extremely excited. She had grown up under the care of her mistress Tsunade and now that her teacher had gained a family, she too had gained a new father and a new baby sister. As she quickly and carefully reached for the clean dishes from the cabinets up above and placed them onto the counters to the right hand side of the cooker. In the three dishes she placed a portion of rice, two piece of cooked chicken and a grand variety of vegetables.

She rapidly went to the six chaired table and placed one plate in the master seat another to his left and the third beside such a place. She momentarily glanced toward the right hand side of the head of the table, and grinned widely. She was sure that once Sayo was old enough, she would be the one who would assume the place beside her father. Just as her father had been, she was extremely pleased that her mistress had finally taken on the most difficult female role, the role of motherhood.

As she finished laying out the forks and the knives, and placing a few of the food dishes onto the table, she found herself contemplating on her mistress's beautiful white haired baby daughter. For many years she had marvelled at the brilliant powers which had made up the Sannin circle. She had master the medical ninjustu with her lady Tsunade, she had heard of the illustrious sage mode being inherited by the lord mast Jiraiya and the keen mind of the snake lord Orochimaru.

Yet the one thought which culminated all the others was as follows:

_Born of such prominent parents, I really am curious what sort of shinobi little Sayo will turn out to be like._

Thinking of the nine month old child had gotten Shizune to contemplate the growing bond of love which had formed between her mistress and her new master. From what she had seen outside the walls of their bedroom, she could tell that the more they spent with their baby and each other, the more they showed themselves and the world that they had been chosen by Kami to be man and wife.

Once finishing up the table, Shizune quickly placed the dirty utilities into the deep sink. And before leaving the kitchen, she took one glance back towards the meal which she had made and hoped that the master and the mistress of the household would appreciate her endeavours to make herself a worthy member of their family. As she made her way to the other side of the house, she greatly anticipated the vision of seeing a peaceful father, mother and child enjoying the simplicities of life.

She slowly opened the door to the living and was met with the dim light which served perfectly for the inhabitants inside to divulge into the many books and scrolls detailing the many justus of the shinobi world. As she stepped into the warm room, she saw the ever masculine lord master Jiraiya scanning the contents of a pile of justu scrolls. Whilst on the other side of the room, she saw the lady Tsunade flipping the pages of the book she was reading. They were each clad in casual blue and cream robes, and they each wore comfortable dressing gowns.

Then suddenly her shinobi instincts kicked in and her eyes rested on the hanging hand of Jiraiya. By the manner in which he clenched is fists, it was almost as if someone should have been holding onto it. Her eyes quickly scanned the feet of both her master and her mistress, and she quickly searched the carpeted floors of such a place. Her heart began to pound and all of her senses were becoming increasingly alert by every passing moment. It only took her a few extra moments to realise that someone very important was missing from the room.

"Sayo...where is Sayo?"

The lord Master Jiraiya and the lady Tsunade suddenly halted their actions and she saw their eyes going wide with shock. Shizune knew from her crawling prowess alone she would not be able to exit the living room by herself. Her attention turned to her mistress, and she saw her face going from expressionless shock to utter fear. Jiraiya's reaction had been far quicker. His face went from surprise and converted to fear and guilt. There was no doubt that as the alpha parent, he had become overwhelmed with the feeling of weakness. And his mumblings reflected that...

His entire body had flared up in his cream chakra and it began to cascade down his body. The entire room had been filled with the pure emotion of panic, and both her and Tsunade saw as he placed his hand onto the sofa and his entire body had suddenly began to shake. Shizune was worried that his guilt had caused him to becoming paralysed.

And then she heard him mutter:

"How...how could I be so irresponsible?"

Shizune could not help but smile at the endearing sight, as her mistress came up to her husband and placed her hand onto his shoulder. It was by her support alone that Jiraiya's chakra had resided and his quivering form had calmed. His panicked expression had melted away and when he came to his feet...then the search truly began.

Once they departed, Shizune found herself returning to the kitchen and scanning around all of the nooks and the crannies. She knew that it would be unlikely for Sayo to be there, or else she would have noticed her entrance. She then headed out of the door which was in parallel to the kitchen door, and examined the gaps in between the washer and the dryer and once again no luck. And before she entered the main corridor of the house, she glint a smile at how the master Jiraiya had added the laundry room so to make the chores easier to do as well as including another door which opened onto a pathways leading them to either the front or the back of the house. And she even went as far as crawling under the dining room's table, to see if there was any trace of the white haired infant.

Meanwhile Tsunade had headed into the restroom and used her skills of observation to search between all of the appliances in the downstairs bathroom. A part of her was beginning to wonder if her daughter had somehow managed to crawl out of the house. Yet her more logical state of mind knew that for Sayo to get far, she would need the motor skills for walking.

It did not take her long to head towards the staircase to the second floor, and before she had even reached such a place, she already saw that Jiraiya was waiting for her.

"I don't think it's possible for our little princess to go up the stairs by herself, do you?"

Tsunade felt the hairs stand up on her back, as her husband's eyes had gone hard and dark, almost daring her to disagree with him. However once she found the power to look away from his domineering gaze, she managed to utter the forbidden words.

"An average child would not have succeeded, but with our stature it would not be surprising if she somehow managed to manipulate her chakra to crawl up the rails"

A faint smile appeared on Jiraiya's face and his response was simple:

"I should hope that isn't the case"

Using their ninja speed the two of them darted up the stairs, and they rushed out of each and every one of the rooms. Neither one of them felt the need to look extensively as they were certain that even a nine month old infant would not have the skill let alone the strength required to manage those stairs by alone.

It was after a solid ten minutes that they returned to the staircase, and before Tsunade could find the right words, Shizune had come to greet them. It was obvious by the expression upon her face, that she too had not had any luck finding their missing child.

However Shizune's next words were probably the ones which made her husband realise that he had indeed adopted the role of alpha parent.

"Lord Master Jiraiya..."

Tsunade watched as her team mate's eyes locked themselves onto her quivering student.

"Yes Shizune..."

Shizune blushed nervously, but found the courage to speak:

"Have you considered using the chakra link to locate Sayo?"

Tsunade suddenly became confused, yet as she watched her husband's face she saw it changing from worry, to confusion and then a broad smile appeared on his lips. And not long after he shut his eyes tightly.

The moment that Jiraiya realised that Shizune was referring to the parental chakra mark which had be passed onto Sayo through birth, he immediately set to work attempting to locate his chakra imprint. And then suddenly he saw a familiar room from within his mind's eye and he knew exactly where his little angel had ventured of to...

He hurried down the stairs and rushed along the corridor, until he came face to face with a sliding door, much like all the other doors on the ground floor.

He placed his hand onto the door and stepped into none other than his meeting room.

Scanning the nearly bare room he found his baby in the corner of his room, gazing out of the large window and not mutter a single word. Yet as he continued to look at her, his heart started to pound and his entire body had become warm and fuzzy. His baby wasn't just in the room, no...no...

_Sayo's standing...my baby's actually standing all by herself._

His whole body had gone numb and he promptly collapsed onto his knees. His heart swelled in complete and utter pride, and as his eye blinking increased, it happy tears were what cascaded down his red striped cheeks.

And then suddenly his grey and her brown eyes meet and he knew exactly what he was required to say.

He slowly opened his arms up as if to give and embrace and he smiled widely:

"Come on baby...come to daddy"

His grin increased in size, as he saw his white haired princess slowly but surely put one foot in front of the other and stagger towards him. His whole face lit up as he saw just confidently she was actually walking, and whilst a part of him was thrilled that she was so advanced, his paternal side feared that these firsts would contribute to any sort of ninja ability which she may have inherited from him and Tsuande.

Jiriaya then witnessed her taking her final step, and she plunged into his awaiting arms. Upon contact, he swiftly wrapped his arms around her small form and brought him to his chest. He slowly came to his feet and lifted her up to his neck. It was instinctually that he smelled her nearly shoulder length and planted an affectionate peak onto her forehead.

"My precious little princes..."

He repositioned his left arm around her bottom and he used his right hand to gently stroke her white locks, and he heard a soft giggle coming from his still and seemingly blissful baby.

He continued to caress her and through the many string of thoughts which went through his mind, the most prominent one was as follows.

_Huh...it seems as if the time has come for me to acquire a playpen._

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	19. Verbal Acknowledgements

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

Jiraiya was truly in awe at how rapidly the first year of his daughter life had gone by. The day of her birth would always remain the very highlight of his life, but that did not mean that everything which had transpired in the duration of her first year had been any less important. No...He adored the fact that it was his child who had flourished under his care and supervision. For so long he had fantasised about having a child of his own flesh and blood, and to have a daughter whose appearance was practically the same as his, only made him love her firsts more.

He was suddenly dragged back to the present by none other than the gurgling sound of none other than his one year old daughter. He and his child were located in none other than the living room, and it was within a slight second that he found himself bending over and gazing into the bassinet which was at his feet. Spending only a few moments marvelling at just how much his princess had grown over their time together, he slowly reached forward and placed his hands under his squirming body and he brought her up to his embrace.

For some time father and child clung onto each other, and relished in one other's company. Until Jiraiya stood up from the sofa and walked a few steps forward, and carefully he placed his now fully awake child into the parameters of none other than her earth green shaded playpen. And from the moment that he sat back down, he observed as his baby and began to pull all of her soft toys towards her. Sayo still doted on the teddy she received from Orochimaru, but that didn't mean that she paid any less attention to the toad, the slug, the snake and the other cuddly animals which he had acquired from various shops and gifts from his shinobi allies.

As he watched her making faces and interacting with her cuddly toys, he could not help but wonder what his child's interests would be like when she grew a walking talking member of society. He already knew that his baby was incredibly intelligent and had the potential to be quite a gorgeous female. Yet as she interacted with her soft toys, a part of him was certain that she would be one of the sociable sorts...as he observed her, there was one single thought which crossed his mind:

_Hum...I hope that my princess will be accepted by her peers._

His thought process was suddenly interrupted by none other than entrance of his lovely wife. He momentarily pulled his attention away from his idyllic image of his child playing and glanced towards Tsunade. He smiled broadly when their eyes meet, and he swiftly arose to his knees and within only a few seconds did the two of them plant an affection peck on each other's lips. Such a simple gesture warmed Jiraiya's heart, as it continued on reminding him that this married life was indeed here to stay.

Once they broke apart their kiss, they found themselves glancing towards their murmuring child. Both of them grinned at how efficiently their child had developed over the course of the past year. It was obvious that Sayo was a curious child, and the more her features resembled that of her powerful father.

"Can you believe how big she's grown?" his wife mused. However Jiraiya found himself zoning out for a moment, only to return to reality when her big brown eyes were on him.

"Jiraiya...?" Tsunade questioned.

"Come now Tsunade you're acting as if she'll be eighteen next week"

The two of them quickly went quiet.

A shrill cry was what pierced their silence, and Jiraiya glanced towards Sayo and immediately knew that something was wrong. In fact even Tsunade had redirected her attention towards the playpen, and after a few moments the two parents realised that their little white haired princess had abandoned her toys and had turned their head towards where they were standing. And it was within a matter of seconds that she had began to clambered over to the side of the playpen, pull herself up and once she had locked eyes with him, she cried out for his once more.

The two Sannin kept still and their stunned reaction had caused Sayo to up her game. Jiraiya observed as his child's eyes narrowed and filled with fresh tears. The forced silence had been interrupted from the moment that her tiny face scrunched up and a loud series of brawling was what followed. His heart sank as her cries continued and continued, and her brawling became a cross between frustrated cries and faint moans. He watched as she clenched her eyes and her eyes by every moment became harder and then Jiraiya knew that if he let her cry any longer then he would be going back on the bond of trust he had managed to establish with her.

His eyes fell onto Tsunade's enlarged breasts and he was certain that feeding time had already come around. He slowly came forward and didn't break eye contact with his now red face daughter. He leaned over the playpen and brought her into his muscular arms. It was from the very moment that they had come into physical contact, he felt her sobs lessen and her cries quieten. He gently cradled her in his arms and watched as Tsunade began to rearrange the blow kimono shirt which she was wearing.

He began to make his way towards his anticipating wife. It was obvious that she was becoming rather uncomfortable with all the milk which had started to accumulate and Jiraiya knew that it would be a win-win situation if mother and daughter would carry out the natural process of breastfeeding. And once he and Sayo had come close enough to his grinning wife, he felt his baby squirming against his grip and from the moment she had tried to wriggle out of his arms, he could not help but laugh:

"Oh wow it looks like our baby's impatient to be gorge on the good stuff"

Before Jiraiya could stop his squirming child, she had plunged into her mother's awaiting arms. Sayo's eagerness to get out of his arms slightly hurt his feelings, as it made him feel that no matter how hard he tried to prove himself to be the superior parent, Tsunade would no doubt have the upper hand whilst his child would require the nutrition from the breast.

"Alright...alright I know you're hungry" he heard his wife murmur, and instead of reprimanding Tsunade for being snappy towards his princess, he started to consider the easiest manner in facilitating the feeding process.

He headed towards the sofa and he slowly sat down. And from the moment that Tsunade had glanced towards him, he lifted his hand and motioned his hand for her to join him. She slowly carried his white haired princess over to him, and it was almost instinctually that she had sat into his awaiting lap.

His heart warmed as his two girls had become comfortable in his embrace. And he was excited as this would be the first time that he would actively participate in breast feeding.

_Finally I can experience this beautiful process for myself._

Jiraiya felt Tsunade lower his child and he instantly knew that he had to reach out and hold the now fussing baby. He felt his wife shuffling about and slowly she removed her breast from her kimono top. With both arms wrapped around his slimming wife, he used one hand to secure his growing baby and with the other he gently caressed her back, knowing full well how much his princess had come to adore his loving hand gestures.

And then suddenly he felt Sayo move forward and with a furious hunger, she had latched onto her mother's breast and began to viciously suck on the sweet substance within. Jiraiya wrapped his arms possessively around his wife, and made sure to lift up Tsunade's own hold on Sayo. Both her mother and father had peered down lovingly at their famished child. Jiraiya's love for their baby had been present from the very moment she had been conceived whilst Tsunade, over the last year, had learnt to love their bundle of joy by seeing just how much her husband had changed his manner of being. It was obvious that Jiraiya's true nature would have never been revealed had she never become pregnant with his child.

As Sayo began to have more and more of her fill, Jiraiya noticed how her eyes had begun to widen considerably. He had thought that she would have chosen to stare at her mother, but the longer he observed her, the more he realised that it was him that her eyes were locked onto. And by the passing moment, his heart began to beat faster as he realised that it was him who she was looking at with such deep adoration.

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade continued to watch as Sayo suckled on the breast milk. Jiraiya loved the fact that his wife was within his arms and Sayo with hers. He adored the fact that he not only had power over his white haired heiress, he had also gained the fealty of the Slug Sannin. It was a wonderful feeling for Jiraiya to have finally founded a family which he could call his own. And he knew that his rise to clan patriarch would have never come about if Sayo's innocence of being a new born child had not brought them even closer together.

Jiraiya knew that his ego had begun to inflate over the last few months but as Sayo's eyes continued to gaze at him, he was sure that his alpha instincts were going overboard. He had for so long feared that he would never acquire the worship of his daughter, but from the expression of her eyes, it was certain that the bond he had been working on for the first year of her life had now seemingly come to flourish. And he was certain that she would grow up in his likeness.

Tsunade could not help but smile as she saw how infatuated Sayo had become with her father. She knew how desperately Jiraiya had craved their daughter's love, and now after so long, their little child was starting to return her father's adoration. However after half an hour of staring at her father, their baby had redirected her eyes to hers. Tsunade hoped that her husband would not take offensive when he realised that Sayo was no longer paying attention to him but to her. And as Tsunade continued to marvel at how intelligently she was observing her, she knew that sooner or later something would happen. Sayo's facial expression resembled that of jounin ranked shinobi calculating the situation at hand to determine the right course of action which was required.

Then suddenly Sayo pulled away from Tsunade's breast and both parents felt their child fidgeting against their hold. Her whole face had lit up in delight, and Jiraiya was finding it hard to hold his wife and make sure that his child did not fall out of the security of their hands. And before Jiraiya could warn his wife to increase her hold, they heard a shrill series of laughter. It was soon after that they would hear the most beautiful sound of their lives.

Sayo's eyes started staring at her mother and smiled. She wriggled playfully and reached out her small arms as if to reach for her and then...and then the two parents heard a lovely word.

"Momma...!"

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade open their mouths in astonishment at hearing their child's voice for the very first time. And before the Monogatari patriarch could wallow in his jealously, Sayo had directed her grinning towards him.

"Dadda...! Dadda...!"

At first Jiraiya had thought that he was dreaming when he heard his baby calling for him. And he didn't snap out of his daydream, until he heard her cries.

"DADDA...!"

Hearing her cry, he directed his attention towards her and saw her tear stained face. He lifted one hand up to meet her face, and then suddenly Sayo's hands grabbed onto his own.

As he continued to observe his baby's teary eyes, his momentarily envy towards his wife had dissolved and he used his hand to caress her face. He felt Sayo's hand clench onto his own and he heard her say it again.

"Dadda...?" whilst tilting her head in confusion.

He smiled warmly whilst affectionately murmuring:

"Sayo..."

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	20. Their Void

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

**Greetings my lovely readers! I hope you have all enjoyed the new year celebrations. I hope that you all enjoy the latest instalment and continue to support me as I continue along my writing journey!**

Jiraiya suddenly awoke and his immediate reaction was to reach out and tap around the empty space beside him. For a solid year he had grown so accustomed to the warm tiny body which he had come to adore having within the safety of his arms. He promptly sat up within the mess of the bed covers, and he realised that his entire body was drenched in dry sweat. All his senses were placed in overdrive, he had for so long desired to have a child and her absence from the safety of her parents' bed was something which he was finding incredibly difficult to accustom himself to.

His ears then became tremendously alert, when he realised what sound it was that had awoken him. From his place within his martial bed, he could hear heartfelt crying coming from none other than his daughter's bedroom. As he concentrated on the sound, he was soon able to identify that his little princess wasn't weeping because of any sort of basic necessities, but rather his baby was whimpering out of the sentiments of loneliness. It was a heart destroying reality for him, and as he considered the situation further he had come to one conclusion...

Ever since Sayo's first night of slumbering within her very own bed, approximately six months prior to that day, she had woken up around three or so in the morning hours and she had commenced her long symphony of tears. It made him feel absolutely terrible of how he was the sole person responsible for her making her hurt so much. But he knew that once as Tsunade had stopped breast feeding when Sayo had gone passed her first year of living, he had to constantly encourage his child to get accustomed to her own company...even if it pained him to do so.

He placed his hand to his chin and there was one thought which summed up his feelings of guilt:

_My poor little princess...she must feel as if I have betrayed her by abandoning her like this...especially since I was the one who encouraged her with first words._

As he reflected on the matter at hand, he remembered back to the time when he had ordered in the double bed and packed away her crib. Her first bed was barely used, and he thought that the transition for sleeping in her own bed would be easier if she had a same sized bed to that of his. A small smile momentarily appeared on his face as he recalled just how excited she had been. However the brief grace period had soon come to an end and now he was faced with every night being cut off by Sayo's unease.

It was not long after that he found himself climbing out from his bed covers. He slipped his feet into his slippers and he began to make his way down the corridor of the second floor. As he approached Sayo's room on the other side of the house, the crying became that much easier to distinguish. From the first time he had sobs, as he reached out for the door, he immediately noticed how strained her cries had become and he knew that he had to be quick...or else it would be far harder to calm her down enough to return to slumber.

From the moment that Jiraiya had entered Sayo's twilight lit room, his instincts immediately told him to look towards the double bed which was now located in place of where the wardrobe used to stand. And the wardrobe now stood in the place of toy box, which was now situated opposite changing table.

His eyes promptly fell onto the tight blanketed ball which appeared to quiver every few moments. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed and his heart began to beat heavily, he was not so ignorant to disregard his daughter's defensive way of hiding herself away from the world.

He hurried forward and he quickly wrapped his muscular arms around his baby's shivering form. He instinctually brought her shaking body into the safety of his embrace and he began to hum tenderly. It hurt him as he felt her chest vibrating from her sobbing of lonesomeness, and in recompense he attempted to comfort her with the warmth of his adoration. He knew what method he had to use to calm her down, and he was also aware of the fact that when his princess was upset, it wasn't an easy task to make her happy once more.

Jiraiya placed one arm under her bent legs and he slowly clambered onto the top of his daughter's luxury bed. He held her close to his chest as he shuffled back again the back board. He brought up his knees and he carefully placed his still sobbing child back within his lap.

As he observed the tears trickling down her face, he could tell that she was too far gone to simply calm at his mere presence. No...It was obvious that after so many times of waking up alone, she was crying because he had left her alone too long...

_Here goes nothing..._

He hugged her anew and reassumed his slow cradling gestures. With one arm he rocked her caressingly and with his remaining hand, he began to lovingly stroke his daughter's luscious white locks. Her quivering seemed to desist slightly, and there something which indicated to him what would halt her whimpering all together.

He leaned forward and began to murmur some soft words into the depths of her tiny ears.

"Shush...its okay now...Daddy's here...you are now alone"

He repeated a variant of these words over and over again, until soon enough he finally heard her sobbing become quieter and quieter...

He leaned back and watched as her shaking body had stopped. And then he waited as she took a large calming gulp of air, and lifted her head to gaze at him. Her now tranquil face combined with the complete trust which was present within her brown eyes made him see that he had succeeded in returning her to her normal state of bliss. It was times like this that made him feel as if his battle to gain his daughter's eternal love was worth it, even if ended up partially isolating from her mother and other potential individuals for fear of their relationship being strained. After all, he had craved her existence from a very young age to fill the void which the abandonment at the hands of his birth clan had caused.

Sayo's face remained solemn until he lifted his hand and began to lovingly stroke the side of her cheek. As the seconds went by he was relieved to find that as she gazed into his grey eyes, her own facial expression appeared to soften and relax. It seemed as if his own calm demeanour was effectively bonding father and daughter together into an inseparable relationship.

"Princess would like to go to water fountain?"

She titled her head slightly and for a few moments Jiraiya was wondering whether or not his eighteen month old daughter had understood what he had asked her. For a few minutes he waited as her face went from calm bliss, to querying his words and then, with a very subtle gesture, she began to nod her head. However it was the look within her eyes that made his heart swell in pride...for so many months he had just spoken to her without knowing whether or not she understood his words. Now he wouldn't be surprised if coherent sentences would come next.

He reached forward and lifted her into his embrace anew. He slowly slid of the side of her bed, and brought her up to the level of his head. And promptly enough the two of them had flown down the stairs, and casually made his way through the hallway of the house. Unlike all of the other times he had made this journey, Sayo didn't struggle or cry in impatience of getting out of the house. Instead now that she was still, a part of Jiraiya knew that his baby was indeed starting to grow up.

From the moment that he had stepped out into the garden, he felt Sayo turn around in his arms and this bold move had caused him to halt in his tracks. Over the last few months, there had been many changes made to the grounds attached to his sanctuary. And as he slowly made his way towards the end of the mini field, Sayo had began to point at varies plants and garden ornaments, and it was his pleasure to give her all of the names of the varies paraphernalia they passed, especially since she appeared to be so intrigued with everything she saw.

As they began to approach the most beautiful element of the garden, Jiraiya heard an adorable cooing sound. At first he thought that his ears had merely tricked him, until the cooing began once again. He immediately turned his attention to the cute creature within his arms, and noticed that the adorable sound was coming from none other than his daughter. And as they came closer and closer to the waterfall, he could not help but grin as Sayo had lifted her own arm almost as if she desired to touch the serene fountain.

Instead of permitting her to get sopping wet, Jiraiya stepped back and found himself taking a place on the bench. However rather than sitting placidly on his lap, his daughter had sat forward and he watched as he saw her contemplation. He found it amazing how his little princess had gone from simply listening to everything he said, and now it appeared as if she was starting to comprehend all those things which occurred around her.

_Hum...it seems as if I will have to begin to consider all of my words before I utter them...least she learn something she should not._

"Daddy...?"

His eyes immediately sought out Sayo's face and his heart nearly skipped a beat when he heard her words.

"Why is there a dragon?"

He blinked once and then twice and he quickly understood that his baby daughter was asking him about the significance of their biological heritage, or more specifically the model dragon on the pinnacle of the water fountain. And the clarity in which she had asked her question, made his heart swell in pride as it was obvious that little Sayo had skipped over sounds and gone straight to words. Her eyes seemed to demand a truthful response.

"Well the dragon on top of the water fountain is the emblem creature for our biological clan..."

Sayo's head titled and her eyes went wide, and he knew that she wanted more information.

"The dragon is a majestic animal which many have said have died out centuries ago, yet our very first ancestor is said to have wielded the power to control a great dragon"

At that mention of dragon, Sayo gazed to the creature perched on top of the fountain, and then she looked back towards and his heart sank in guilt as he realised that his knowledge regarding his birth clan was pathetically minimal. And he sincerely hoped that for the moment, he would be able to give her all the answers she sought...well for the time being anyway...

"This dragon disappeared promptly after its master but the symbol of its great power has since become the sigil of our clan, the Monogatari clan"

It was at that moment that he saw Sayo turning around to gaze at him, and they seemed to question him...and he feared what her next query would be...

"Daddy...?"

Jiraiya gulped quietly and placed a hand onto the back of her head.

"Yes princess..."

His tone was becoming heavy with worry.

"Are you an orphan?"

For solid ten minutes he found himself becoming incredibly speechless, because his child had not only begun to construct simple sentences, she was even going as far as to read beyond the situation at hand.

_Her intellect...is incredible._

"Not anymore..."

_No...Now I have a family and they are Tsunade and my little Sayo._

He waited to see if she would accept his evasive answer...and after a few seconds Sayo reassumed her sideways sitting position, and surely enough she leaned against his chest. Her craving his warmth signified that she was content with what scraps he had managed to tell her regarding their dragon heritage. And he was more than happy to oblige, and he wrapped his two arms around her delicate form.

He promptly closer his eyes and one single thought came to mind:

_I hope that my love for Sayo will be enough to fill the void of the absence of our family._

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	21. Tsunade's Husband

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

**Apologises I realised that in the previous chapter I wrote '...you are now alone' when I meant to write '...you are not alone'**

Gazing at him serving in the long body mirror which he had acquired, Jiriaya could not help but wonder how quickly the first two years of Sayo's life had flown by. Yet as he pulled his signature red haori with the two yellow circles on the shoulder blade areas, he had come to realise that the luxury of keeping his child away from the public view was slowly but surely coming to an end. After all as he gazed upon his now ageing complexion, he knew that on that day he, Tsunade and Sayo would be leaving the house together and trek towards none other than the hokage tower.

His thought process was suddenly halted by the opening of the door of the en suite bathroom, and with the reflection he saw his lovely wife. He adored the fact that his wife still retained her perfect bodily features and the smooth skin on her face...yet as he observed her further, he noticed how...

...her face was mild and her manner was timid, and as a result, a large ball of guilt had formed within his throat. The once powerful konochi of the hidden leaf village had submitted to him and he knew that even if his ego complained, it was imperative that he remember his vows and humble himself and apologise for his possessive nature. It took him a mere amount of second to come to her side, and to break Tsunade's trace of silence. He grabbed onto her wrists and in doing so, he finally managed to lock his eyes onto hers.

"Jiraiya...?" she asked in an absent minded state. Her daze seemed to persist, and Jiraiya then chose to take drastic actions to try and bring out the side of Tsuande which he had for so long despised but now he knew that to be a good husband, he had to relinquish his hold on her or at the very least come to a compromise.

He quickly pulled her into his amorous embrace and before Tsunade could even react, he placed his lips onto hers. He continued to caress her mouth and a part of him tried to reach out for her chakra, and much to his surprise as their kiss deepened she allowed her own chakra to hurl forward. And from the moment his and her chakra connected, Jiraiya was able to sense a variety of differing emotion coming from none other than his seemingly suppressed wife. He could not comprehend why his wife was being so open with him.

Once Jiraiya realised that his Monogatari power had establish a heighten emotion and psychological connection with his life mate. He released her lips and before he could fully release her, he was stunned to find that Tsunade had begun to loving stroke his face. And rather then pull away, he gently placed his hand onto hers, and they gazed into each other's eyes resembling a couple who had fallen in love at first sight.

"My love, why are you so discontent?"

By every passing moment, Tsunade's placid face was making it harder and harder to keep to his goal.

"Tsunade..."

His wife titled her head, seemingly intrigued.

"I am sorry..."

Tsunade frowned:

"For what...?"

Jiraiya breathed in deeply:

"...for suppressing your right for your opinions and desires being heard...for forcing you to carry my child...for..."

Suddenly...before he was able to carry on with his apologises...Tsunade had jumped to a defensive mood and then he heard her speak the first commanding word in a very lengthy time.

"Stop...!" Yet before he could find the appropriate response, Tsunade had suddenly placed her hand onto his mouth causing his eyes to widen in the confusion, and he remained silent even when she removed her hand.

He watched as a big smile appeared on his wife's face.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologise for..."

Now Jiraiya had gone from confused to complete and utter surprise, as he was so sure that his wife's change in manner was not a positive result.

"I must admit in the beginning your transformation from the pervert Sannin to a powerful domineering shinobi was at first very difficult for me to handle...yet I soon realised that through this side of yours you have also shown me that you too have then same patriarchal love which my grandfather possessed..."

Jiraiya's mouth began to gap open as he realised what Tsunade was about to say.

"Jiraiya..."

He forced himself to respond:

"Yes my love..."

Tsunade's smile turn into a true grin and she spoke words which appeared to come from the heart.

"I fell in love with you because of this dramatic change..."

"What...?" he managed to murmur.

"...so don't you ever change. Continue to pursue your dream of connecting with your biological ancestors..., continue to show the hidden leaf that without us to protect them; they would have never lived in an era of peace...and...

Tsunade leaned forward and muttered some shocking words into his ear.

"...continue to be the father that you are to your little Sayo"

Jiraiya embraced Tsuande anew and tears began to cascade down his cheeks. He had been burdened with the fear that he had overstepped certain boundaries, but now that Tsunade had told him her thoughts. He was confident that he would also have her unfailing support.

_It seems that the woman I have adored since childhood is truly my soul mate. She has faith in my determination to show the world the power of Monogatari clan...and...and..._

As he continued to feel her warm body, he could not help by thank her...

_...it appears as if she has no qualms about me being Sayo's alpha parent..._

He stroked the back of her head much like he did with Sayo and he made himself a promise.

_Tsunade has proven herself to be my other half and I will dedicate my time to not only teaching Sayo to love me...but also to make her understand that Tsunade is her mother and that to please me, she must love her as well._

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	22. Meeting Minato

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

Jiraiya made his way to Sayo's room with a jolly spring in his step. His entire body had been relinquished of a large psychological burden by none other than Tsunade, his wife and indistinguishable soul mate. He was still in awe at learning that the woman who he had become so convinced that he had suppressed had actually fallen in love with him, because of his newly discovered desire to control and ultimately keep his loved ones close by his side. If his ego wasn't already so large, he was sure that it would have grown exponentially at hearing Tsunade's wish for him not to change his plan to raise his child and prove to the hidden leaf that he could be bother high level shinobi and unconquerable patriarch.

He suddenly snapped out of his musings when he placed his hand on his daughter's bedroom door and quickly realised that he had just had a full night of sleep.

_After nearly a year, my little princess has finally made the big step to rely on her own company._

Yet as he stepped across the threshold a tear drop escaped his eye as he realised that his baby was growing up with the support of his particular parenting skills.

And he was only able to see his peacefully slumbering angel nestled amongst the blankets of the silk sheeted bed, when he began to approach her bedside.

Rather than reaching forward to wake his child, he pulled the chair located on the corner of the room to the side of his daughter's double bed. Once he sat on the chair, his eyes scanned the now growing red lines on Sayo's face and he could not help but marvel at how big his baby had grown over the last two years. In fact it made him sad to realise that in a few years she would no longer want to be carried by him.

After about ten minutes of watching her quietly, he found himself succumbing to the urge of caressing her forehead with his hand. He adored the fact that as his child grew, she resembled their Monogatari predecessors more and more. And after five minutes, he saw her stirring and her eyes slowly but surely fluttering open to meet his own.

"Good morning my darling princess..."

As he pulled away his hand, he saw a broad smile appeared across her now rested complexion, and he was sure that any sorts of tantrums she may have thrown on that day...she would now most likely not.

"Daddy..." she murmured softly.

Jiraiya offered her his hand and once she latched on, he helped her sit up. He waited until he was sure that his daughter was awake, until he set about informing her about the events which had been scheduled for that day. After all he had long since learnt that his daughter preferred to know the ins and the outs of everything which had been planned for and around her.

"We are going to visit your godfather today"

He watched her confused face and wasn't surprised that his daughter couldn't remember Minato and yet then he heard her mutter one word.

"Naruto"

_She...she remembers him._

...

Making their way to the main core of the hidden leaf village, Jiraiya was truly beginning to wonder how Sayo would react to being formally introduced to her godfather Minato (since he considered that their first meeting when she had been a newborn didn't count as it had never been made clear to her what her relationship to Minato exactly was). He was pleased that their journey to the hokage tower on such a day would not be disturbed by the same crowds which had followed them when they had brought Sayo home from the hospital. He knew that such a day was rapidly approaching and he hoped that when it did come to pass, that he and Tsunade would be united as parents and help their child to survive the social presses which came with her distinctive bloodlines.

Contemplating Sayo's situation had made him think about just how Minato had reverted back to an over eager child when he had suggested that he finally acquaint himself properly to his goddaughter. As Jiraiya thought about the matter further, it was obvious that his student had come a long way from when he considered himself as an unacceptable candidate for the godfather role to now when he had quite literally jumped at the opportunity to bring Sayo to his house. If he didn't know it any better then he would have thought that Minato was eager to finally establish the bond which they shared for being godfathers to each other's children.

"Mommy, why are you wearing those clothes?"

Jiraiya blinked a few times before realising that Sayo had so easily asked her mother a question which she would surely ask him. Unlike all those other times, the jealousy which he usually felt did not feel as potent as all of those previous times. His desire to incorporate Tsunade in his plan for parenting Sayo, had kept his alpha mood in check. Instead he was rewarded with seeing the warm loving smile his wife directed to their daughter.

"Well little evening child, it is because we are going to spend some time in your godfather's house"

He observed the manner in which his daughter narrowed her eyes and it caused a wave of pride to sweep over his body, as her facial expression reminded him of his own serious game face.

"Godfather...?" her confused manner of querying her mother made him realise that perhaps he had kept her isolated from the village for too long a time.

"Yep...and its fun to dress up like royalty and show the world just how important we are"

Jiraiya spent some time watching Sayo's eyes wonder away in thought. He didn't blame Tsunade for her words, but a part of him was hoping that his daughter's tendencies to overanalyse things wouldn't lead them into any unwanted problems with the shinobi community.

And before he could wallow in his worry, they were approached by a high class jounin who Jiraiya immediately recognised as one of the willingly test subjects who had survived Orochimaru's experiments of incorporating the first hokage's blood cells into his own DNA formula.

"Lord Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade and Heiress Apparent...please follow me"

The three Monogatari-Senjus glanced towards the jounin, and promptly enough they were making their way towards the famous red hokage tower.

...

Slowly but surely the four of them began to make their way towards the red hokage tower which could be seen from a far distance. Jiraiya remained silent but he realised that the closer they draw to Minato's office, the more Sayo seemed to want to run off and explore. She was growing so much physically as well as mentally, especially since she had managed to anticipate his desire to establish a more solid relationship between mother and daughter. He hoped that as Sayo became more and more infatuated with him, he would slowly be able to show Tsunade that her maternal love was just as important.

As they approached the entrance to the tower two of the ANDU members, he felt his daughter's body tensing in his arms. It was obvious that she was feeling intermediated by the masks which they used to hide their true identities.

"Lord Master Jiraiya..." the female ANBU came forward.

For a brief moment they scanned the red lines on his face and they nodded.

"Lady Tsuande..."

Jiraiya knew that identifying her would be a little more difficult...and then suddenly black lines appeared on her face and climbed down her arms. He recognised it immediately as being the start of the Creation Rebirth technique.

"That will be all"

His wife immediately released her justu, and Jiraiya breathed in deeply. He knew that the checks on the inside would be far more rigorous.

Once they entered the double doors they were meet with another five ANBU members, Jiraiya and Tsunade reached inside their inner pockets and handed them over. They spent a good few minutes analysing their validity against their own records and promptly allow them to pass through.

_Hum...it seems that with the rampage of the nine tails, they are still going through he extra steps of identification even though Tsunade and my faces are so well known across the entire hidden leaf._

After the ANBU had permitted them passage to the corridor leading to the hokage's office, Jiraiya felt Sayo becoming motionless and from the way her chakra had began to go frantic. It was obvious that his little princess was becoming increasingly nerve wracked.

They entered Minato's office and they can face to face with the blonde spiky haired Yondaime clad in his famous white and red flamed coat.

"Lord Hokage...the Monogatari-Senju clan members"

Jiraiya watched as Minato placed his chin onto his hands, and smiled broadly, knowing all too well that his student was attempting to capture the attention of his goddaughter. And after some time he glanced towards him sending him a silent message.

Minato immediately arose from his chair and he slowly made his way over to the two of them. Jiraiya felt Sayo trying to bury her face into his chest, and rather then accommodating her desire, he made sure to keep her facing forwards.

He watched as his twenty five year old student kneeled down to come to eye level with Sayo. And before she could hide away from his godfather's blue eyes, Minato spoke some kind words of introduction.

"Hello little Sayo...my name is Minato Nimikazae and I am your godfather"

Jiraiya couldn't tell whether it was his student's warm complexion or perhaps his resemblance to his godson Naruto that made his daughter relax and promptly reach out and touch her godfather's pale face.

_Maybe this will be easier than I first expected._

...

The four of them quickly exited the hokage tower and it was only thanks to the ANBU that Jiraiya did not feel as if his child was once again being judged. They managed to keep back the crowds yet he was painfully conscious of the time when he would have to allow all of those questioning eyes to lay themselves onto his innocent child.

And by the slight seriousness in Minato's eyes, it seemed as if he was also aware that the time would come where Sayo would finally have to introduce herself as a member of the hidden leaf. Jiraiya also knew that sooner or later she would be compared to her parents and he hoped that she would always feel that she could come to him or Tsunade for reassurance that she was not alone in this world.

The hokage mansion or the home of the Nimikazae-Uzumaki clan was a building of half the size to that of his own. On the first floor there was the living room, dining room, office, laundry room and bathroom laid out in a compact fashion, whilst the second floor was comprised of four bedrooms, an en suite and two bathrooms. While he appreciated large spaces, his student Minato had always been a favourite of economically making use of even the smallest of rooms. Yet his home compensated when it came to the sheer massive size of his back garden.

From the moment they had entered the hallway, Jiraiya immediately spotted Kushina slipping out of the kitchen and then saw Sayo turning to look at him.

"Naruto..."

He chuckled softly and placed an affectionate kiss onto her nose causing her to blush in embarrassment. Yet as they exchanged their fatherly daughterly gestures, Jiraiya could tell that Minato was watching them with an innocent amusement. It appeared as if his student was wondering if he would ever be able to become one of the important individuals within Sayo's life.

Jiraiya was suddenly dragged out of his thoughts when he felt Sayo turn around without even the slightest indication, and both he and Minato looked up as Kushina appeared with an almost three year old Naruto clinging onto her hand.

Yet the next few moments were what truly stunned him and the Yondaime.

It was after roughly thirty second interval that the spiky blonde haired Naruto had realised that his godfather was here, yet as he set in motion to approach him, Jiraiya could already tell that his godson wasn't coming forward to greet him but rather to say hello to his little Sayo.

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	23. Childhood Innocence

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However Sayo and my original story line belong to me.**

Jiraiya was really astounded at how infatuated his godson had become with his daughter. It made his heart flutter to see how over the next few minutes, his daughter had directed her attention from him and turned to gaze at that blonde haired blue eyed Naruto. He continued to hold onto his baby girl, as he witnessed the truly adorable exchange of smiles between the two children.

After roughly five minutes he felt Sayo leaning forward and watched as she stretched out her two arms as if to touch the boy. It seemed that all the adults' eyes had fallen onto the two young ones, when Naruto had reached upwards. And once their hands connected, Jiraiya was at the front lines when his mischievous godson let out a giggle of bliss.

Then suddenly Jiraiya was dragged out of his own little daydream, as he felt Sayo twisting and turning to escape from his overpowering hold. The more he attempted to hold onto her, the more anxious and determined she became to get out of his arms. As he witnessed the large smile growing bigger and bigger on his godson's face, and it was obvious that it was Naruto's playful expression which had gotten his daughter so excited and energetic.

_I guess I have no choice then..._

He slowly leaned over and placed Sayo onto her floor. Unlike all those other times, his baby was immediately able to balance herself on her feet and stand tall.

Jiraiya stepped back slightly and along with the others, they observed the children and wondered how they would react to each other's presence.

Yet instead of rushing towards Naruto, like Jiraiya had originally thought, his daughter turned around to look at him. It was obvious from her eyes that she was silently awaiting his approval. And thus he took in a deep breath, and smiled and nodded for Sayo to go ahead.

The two sets of parents watched in anticipation as their two children began to take steps towards each other. Naruto was slightly more confident due to being eight months older then Sayo, whilst Sayo's facial expression proved to be a lot more serious to that of Naruto.

Jiraiya watched amazed as both his godson and daughter had instead of shaking hands, but they had gone as far as to hug each other as if they were nothing more and nothing less than long time friends.

However what really touched the toad Sannin's heart was when the two young ones pulled apart and exchanged their very first verbal greeting.

"Hi Sayo..." Naruto lifted up his hand as if to permit her to shake it.

Jiraiya could not help but be amused by the stunned expression upon the Yondaime's face, and he sucked in his breath and realised what was going to transpire next.

He observed Sayo's calculating face and then after some time, she too lifted her hand and once their hands touched anew, he heard his daughter state quite clearly one single word.

"Naruto"

...

Jiraiya continued to keep one eye on the children as he; Tsunade, Minato and Kushina had assumed places on the couches within the living room. Their children were already there as Naruto had quite literally taken his daughter's hand, and dragged her over to the board games which seemed to be scattered all over the floor.

_Hum...perhaps Naruto will assist Sayo in accustoming herself to public life._

His intrigue at how quickly the two babies had gotten used to each other made him feel secure. He was sure that Naruto, being Sayo's first friend, would always be by her side. Unlike all the snide rumours of his godson being a troublemaker son who failed miserably at being the legacy of the famous Yondaime hokage.

"So how have the jounin council been fairing since my announcement all those years ago?"

Jiraiya did not need to fully explain what he meant with his words, as it was obvious that he was asking if the shinobi population remained in their place or if their judgemental murmurings had started up again.

His eyes narrowed as Minato's placid face had gone sour. This alone was enough for him to know that what his student would have to tell him would not be favourable.

"Well Sensei as of yet Sayo hasn't become their main attention of focus. No...They are still debating on which one of us is actually the fourth hokage..."

Jiraiya frowned until his eyebrows became furrowed as he was conflicted between disbelief and confusion. After having heard his discipline speak such words, he was amazed at how Minato had managed to state something so serious without even the slightest resentment in his tone.

"Come now, Minato you know as well as I that I could never take your place of hokage..."

His blonde haired student nodded and glanced towards their children for only a moment.

"Well sensei without your assistance on that fateful night, I would have never fulfilled my dream of raising Naruto"

Jiraiya smiled and nodded.

"A child is better off with their birth parents"

Minato smiled sadly:

"And yet our child will be constantly subjugated to the opinion of the Konoha population"

Upon hearing his student's words, Jiraiya could not help but to grit his teeth together. He was hoping to prolong the time when he would have no choice but to introduce his daughter to the crowds. In fact due to the many enemies he had amassed over the years, a part of him was debating on whether or not to restrict exactly how much the public would know about his little princess.

"Well that's why the location and the manner in which my home has been built is perfect to hide Sayo away from all of those spectators who didn't believe that

Tsunade and I could ever create a solid family environment"

Once he saw Minato pressing his lips together, he knew that he needed to brace himself for something which he would not appreciate.

"That may be true for now but mine and the Sandaime's ANBU have worked relentlessly to sniff out any whiff of conflict. And we have come to the conclusion that unless Sayo is formally introduced to the populace of the hidden leaf by the age of four, then the shinobi may start to forget certain things which you and the other Sannin have done for this village"

Jiraiya's face hardened at hearing his students' words, but instead of resenting him, he realised that since he had chosen to become a part of the community, he would be at the very least required to allow them to sate their curiosity and ogle his daughter.

After about an hour of catching up with each other Minato and Jiraiya and Kushina and Tsunade found themselves redirecting their attention towards none other then the two child who were happily occupying themselves with a game involving building towers and then stratigically taking out the pieces without the structure crumbling down. Neither Naruto nor Sayo had made any noise of alarm and instead they had spend their time watching one another and making the odd sound of happiness. There was no doubt that their parents had mentally awed at how adorable the two of them were together, and Jiraiya was one of them.

He knew that his daughter had developed a soft spot for his godson but a part of him was beginning to fear the possibility that sometime in the future they would transcend the bonds of friendship and become something more. From all the natural occurrences of life, Jiraiya could not help but fear the time when his daughter would find her ideal husband and abandon him. He loved his family greatly but he was sure then if and when Sayo decided to leave he would most likely entice her to stay within his home.

_Goodness I really hope that I will always have a special place within my baby's heart._

"It's a good thing that Naruto and Sayo seem to get along so very well. When the time comes for them to go to the academy, neither one of them will be faced with the reality of being alone"

Jiraiya found himself simply smiling. But in his mind he was attempting to quell his feelings of fear. After all from the development of his child, he was beginning to consider the high possibility that his child would end up being a prodigy. And even though he would never openly admit it, after seeing how they had disrupted the childhood innocence of both Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchica, he knew that he would most likely find a way to keep her out of the academy. Even if it mean training her to become a shinobi himself.

His thought process was suddenly halted when Kushina arose from the couch and called out to Minato.

"Minato we're terrible hosts...we've forgotten all about the snacks"

Yet before the Yondaime could stand up, Jiraiya had arisen to his feet and come next to the red haired kunoichi.

"I will gladly asset you"

For a moment the young mother glanced towards Minato and after receiving a nod, the two of them headed to the kitchen.

Jiraiya was about the cross the threshold of the living room until suddenly he heard a familiar cry of panic, and he immediately turned around to face the children.

Within only a few seconds did he realise that Sayo had stopped her innocent playing and she was looking directly at him. His bland facial expression became warm.

He lifted his hand and motioned his hand to encourage her to come to him.

_My sweet baby...she was crying after me._

Sayo stood up from where she had been sitting and she promptly toddled over to her father. Jiraiya could not help but beam from pride at his student and student's wife had gazed upon the scene with a defined admiration. It was obvious that the two younger parents had not believed to be possible for him and his baby to have founded such a solid relationship.

He immediately crouched down to come to eye level with his two year old child and he opened his arms. Within only a few seconds, did it take for his daughter to step forward and bury herself into his arms.

He instinctually began to caress the back of her heart and soon enough his princess's momentary panic had ceased. Instead of returning her to Naruto, he slowly lifted her into his arms and rose to his feet once more.

Once his thoughts returned to the realms of reality, he caught sight of his wife's approving face and before he realised where Kushina had wondered of to, he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"I would grately appreciate both yours and Sayo's help"

Jiraiya's attention promptly reverted to his small child, and he saw her eager face. It appeared as if little Sayo was very interested in Kushina's offer.

_My little baby wants to be a big girl._

"Can I Daddy?"

Jiraiya blinked a few times until he finally responded:

"Yes of course, Princess"

And the result Sayo increased her grip on his clothes. It was obvious that she was pleased of his approval and for the chance to be able to contribute rather then depend on him. However Jiraiya, though he keep it a secret, was sure that he preferred it when he was the one to do things for her as it signified that would continue to be his baby longer.

"Even little Sayo growing up" he heard Minato say.

The prospect of his baby growing up was both terrifying and intriguing for him. From the countless stories which he had heard about his associate's children, the longer children remained young the less likely they would probably rebel.

As he carried her and exited the room, following Sayo's lead, he was hopeful that he would find a way to keep a close bond with his child and avoid any possible factors which could possibly cause their relationship to go sour.

_If anything I sincerely wish that the public presentation of my child will go smoothly and not cause any irreparable issues._

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